Essential_Install_FRONT_COVER_2020_PRINT_READY.pdf
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THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AV AND SMART HOME INDUSTRY
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ACOUSTIC TREATMENT
LOOKING GOOD, SOUNDING BETTER
HVAC HIGHLIGHTS GET SMART ABOUT HEAT
AUTOMATION AND VOICE IS IT TIME TO TALK?
16x16 4K 18Gbps MATRI X SU P P OR TIN G
NEW C U S T O M P R O
The Custom Pro Matrix has been specifically designed to operate in challenging AV environments. Its robust housing and interlocking board configuration make both installation and maintenance a seamless experience. Advanced optional features include audio breakout, simultaneous HDBaseT™ / HDMI outputs, RS-232 pass through, and a web browser interface module for enhanced control and configuration.
PRO16HBT100CS
Custom Pro Matrix Hub featuring 16 x HDMI 2.0 inputs, 16 x HDBaseT™ outputs (4K 60Hz 4:4:4 to 70m, 1080p up to 100m) and 12 x simultaneous HDMI 2.0 outputs. J Supports 4K UHD video up to 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 (18Gbps) over HDBaseT™ using Colour Space Conversion up to 70m at 4K 60Hz 4:4:4, or up to 100m at 1080p J 16 x analogue L/R audio inputs which can be embedded onto corresponding HDMI / HDBaseT™ zone outputs J Audio breakout board with line-level volume control J 3rd Party drivers available for major commercial & residential control brands
4K HDR up to 40m
PRO88HBT70CS
Custom Pro 8x8 HDBaseT™ CSC Matrix (4K 60Hz 4:4:4 up to 40m) Supports 4K HDR, IP Control, PoH, 2-Way IR, 4 x Simultaneous HDMI outputs , Audio Breakout with volume control J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI 2.0 18Gbps specification over HDBaseT™ J Supports 4K resolutions including HDR (4K 60Hz 4:4:4) to a distance of 40m
J Smart Scale technology - automatic 4K to 1080p scaling
1080p up to 150m
HEX100CS-KIT
HEX150CS-KIT
100m HDBaseT™ Extender Set Supporting 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 (70m)
HDBaseT™ CSC Extender Set Supporting HDMI 2.0 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 up to 100m (1080p up to 150m)
J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering CSC scaling with zero latency J Supports 4K UHD video up to 70m (3840x2160 @60Hz 4:4:4 and @60Hz 4:2:2 including HDR)
J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI2.0 18Gbps specification including HDR support
M U L T I C A S T
IP200UHD-RX/TX Multicast 4K UHD Video Receiver / Transmitter J Supports up to 4K HDR UHD video sources (3840 x 2160 @30Hz 4:4:4, 4096 x 2160 @24Hz 4:4:4 and 4K @60Hz 4:2:0) J Advanced signal management for independent routing of IR, RS-232, USB/KVM, audio and video
C O N T R A C T O R
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C44-KIT Contractor 4x4 HDBaseT™ Matrix Kit J Includes 4 x HEX70B-RX HDBaseT™ Receivers
Become a Certified Blustream Installation Partner
Interactive Online Tutorials We have re-designed our regular interactive online tutorials, focused on providing convenient, bite sized insights into the latest Blustream solutions and the day to day challenges we all currently face in our rapidly evolving market. During these unprecedented times, we have increased both the content and frequency of the sessions we are hosting to bring you the most comprehensive range of interactive webinar content available in the UK. Current Tutorials Available
J Specifying a Custom Pro Matrix with 18Gbps support
Register now: www.blustream.co.uk/advanced-learning-portal J
Our UK Address: The Service Station,
Tel: +44 (0)115 824 7000 Email: sales@blustream.co.uk Web: www.blustream.co.uk
J CAT Cable Certification & Verification
J Video over IP vs HDBaseT - which should you back?
Melton Road, Hickling Pastures,
J When is 4K, Actually 4K?
J with 10 more courses to choose from...
Nottinghamshire,
Book now at J www.blustream.co.uk
LE14 3QG United Kingdom.
67
53 22 CONTENTS
December 2020
4 FROM THE EDITOR’S CHAIR
48 SMART THINKING
7 ESSENTIAL NEWS
50 REGAIN CONTROL
14 BLUSTREAM: SERIOUSLY SUPPORTIVE
60 ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY
16 ESSENTIAL HDANYWHERE
67 ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS
18 ESSENTIAL PULSE CINEMAS
FEATURES AUTOMATION AND VOICE CONTROL FEATURE
20 ESSENTIAL HABITECH
25 EASY LIVING
22 POE FUTURE
28 THE LAUNCH PAD TO SUCCESSFUL CONTROL!
30 ESSENTIAL CEDIA
31 AWE: EI LIVE INTERACTIVE!
The future is what we make it
An installation information avalanche Our insightful Blustream interview A cool new driver
Anthem brings its A game
What’s new from this go ahead distributor? Preparing your cabling for power over ethernet Long lasting effects of the pandemic?
OK, boomer?
Tim Dieffenbaugher, Product Manager Kramer Control EL PADRINO: Clarke Infinity
Heavenly hardware, super software
Crestron comments on voice control The DemoPad Centro Control and Automation platform A round-up of awesome AWE interaction
YOUR DISTRIBUTOR www.avoke.co.uk | av@avoke.co.uk
48 60 14 ACOUSTIC TREATMENT FEATURE 40 BESTING THE BASS
Peter Aylett, partner at acoustic treatment specialists HTE and CEDIA Instructor
44 SOUND ADVICE
Ben Hancock, managing director, Oscar Acoustics
HVAC FEATURE 53 TRUE INTEGRATION
John Corbin of HVAC integration specialist Intelligent Controls
40 25 16
57 SMART HVAC
Dave Robinson of Sensible Heat
FOR Smart Home www.avoke.co.uk | av@avoke.co.uk
Essential_Install_FRONT_COVER_2020_PRINT_READY.pdf
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14:49
DECEMBER 2020
THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AV AND SMART HOME INDUSTRY
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DECEMBER
THE FUTURE IS WHAT WE MAKE IT! EI fell down a YouTube rabbit hole recently on the subject of cryogenics, freezing yourself just post death so that you can be bought back to life when medical science has the ability to do that. Sounds pretty far fetched right? But in fact its been around longer than you think, at least one person born in the 19th century is currently in ‘stasis’ or frozen to you and me and loads more have joined from the 20th and 21st centuries. The process is actually pretty simple, choose either your head or whole body to be frozen, and your appointed custodians swing into action quickly freezing you after death, and then ultimately placing you in a large thermos flask which is topped up weekly with fluid that keeps the body frozen, to operate, the system does not even need electricity. The really difficult part is bringing you back, and all of the companies offering this service are up front on this, we can’t do this yet! So effectively what you are buying is something that does not exist yet, a time machine into the future if you will. A pretty clever sales pitch, but if the experts are to be believed, relatively speaking it’s not that far off, a couple of hundred years seems to be the rough estimate.
The CI industry is its very own time machine
04 DECEMBER 2020
So, what on earth has this got to do with our industry? Well it struck EI that if people can be persuaded to part with large sums of money for the smallest glimpse of the future that may not even happen ($200K is the starting price), we should be fairly well positioned to offer what feels like the future to most people right now. Its easy to get complacent about the incredible things we can do in this industry, we are used to it seeing it every day and whilst we have our fav products and projects, it’s what we do, so its natural that we are not impressed as the uninitiated. However think back (if you can remember that far) to the first time you experienced a fully loaded home cinema, a totally automated home or a fully integrated multi-room music system. These are awesome concepts which to large swathes of the population still come over as a huge leap into the future and match everyone’s dream of a enhancing their lives with their favourite content and achieving full control of the environment around them. Selling the future now, our very own time machine, is a powerful concept, so lets continue to be impressed with what we do, but because there is a big wide world out there that definitely will be too. Daniel J Sait Editor
ACOUSTIC TREATMENT
LOOKING GOOD, SOUNDING BETTER
HVAC HIGHLIGHTS GET SMART ABOUT HEAT
AUTOMATION AND VOICE IS IT TIME TO TALK?
GETTING IN TOUCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Daniel Sait, dan@allthingsmedialtd.com
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Beatrice Lee, beatrice@allthingsmedialtd.com
SALES DIRECTOR
Ian Kitchener, ian@allthingsmedialtd.com
GROUP AD MANAGER
Claire Talty, claire@allthingsmedialtd.com
PUBLISHER
David Kitchener, david@allthingsmedialtd.com
STUDIO MANAGER
Mark Weller, mark@allthingsmedialtd.com
ACCOUNTS
susan@allthingsmedialtd.com
Essential Install magazine, Suite 14, 6-8 Revenge Road, Lordswood, Chatham, Kent ME5 8UD T: +44 (0)1634 673163 F: +44 (0)1634 673173 www.essentialinstall.com
SOCIALS /INSTALL_MAG /ESSENTIALINSTALL Whilst we make every effort that everything printed in Essential Install magazine is factually correct, we cannot be held responsible if factual errors occur. All articles are copyright and remain the property of Essential Install magazine.
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NEWS
NEWS ESSENTIAL PEOPLE Kaleidescape, specialist in products and content for high-quality home cinema, has announced that Tayloe Stansbury has been appointed its new Chief Executive Officer. Tayloe succeeds Cheena Srinivasan, who served as Chief Executive Officer since 2014; Cheena will remain with Kaleidescape as founder and executive vice president, focused on alliances and business development, including movie studio relationships. In addition, Norma Garcia-Muro has joined Kaleidescape as Vice President of Marketing. “We are excited to have Tayloe’s expertise in product, technology, growth and scale and Norma’s expertise in cinema systems and movie marketing, to drive Kaleidescape’s growth,” said Michael Malcolm, Founder and Chairman of Kaleidescape’s board of directors. Tayloe is a long time Kaleidescape customer, and he brings a wealth of leadership and business expertise. He previously served as interim CEO of Watermark Insights, as Chief Technology Officer of Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU), and as Executive Vice President of Product and Operations at Ariba. He received his A.B. in applied mathematics from Harvard University. Norma is an entertainment industry innovator with a background in motion picture, home entertainment, and premium cinema technology. She was integral to the launch of Dolby Cinema worldwide, and premium cinema experience at THX. Norma’s previous posts include Head of International Marketing at Lucasfilm, where she oversaw strategy and positioning for the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and as director at Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment. Norma was recently named one of the Top 50 Women in Global Cinema. Cheena Srinivasan said, “Tayloe’s proven leadership in technology and corporate stewardship, together with Norma’s background marketing iconic films and next-generation cinema technology, provide Kaleidescape with a strong synergy of tech and Hollywood. We are delighted to see them both
take the lead as we launch this exciting new chapter in revolutionising home entertainment with the finest cinema experience available.” Company MD at UK distributor Pulse Cinemas, Mike Beatty, added, “We are delighted to hear of such renowned business and marketing professionals joining Kaleidescape. Tayloe’s CV speaks for itself. Having such a professional and well respected leader now heading up the company will only further cement the brand’s credentials as the number one movie playback system for those serious about ensuring they see and hear, what the director intended.” Mark Benson joins Kudos Audio. The company continues to grow at a fast pace due to an increased UK demand and opening up new export distribution, Kudos has decided to expand production staffing. Derek Gilligan, Kudos founder and Managing Director, has been hand-building or personally checking every speaker after assembly, both cosmetically and with listening tests since Kudos began in 2007. It’s now time to hand over this significant responsibility so Derek can devote more time to new product development and growing the company further. Mark studied and qualified in industrial design after he left school but moved into graphics and pre-press at a large printer company followed by his true love Hi-Fi. Mark worked at Peter Tyson in Newcastle for 17 years specialising in Turntable setup but covering all aspects of the higher end retail environment. The opportunity to join Kudos came after discussions at shows last year where Mark had been helping out with weekend staff manning. Mark’s attention to detail will fit well with Derek Gilligan the founder, owner and boss of Kudos. Mark also intends to bring his industrial design skills to Kudos when required for future product development. As production manager Mark will be responsible for all aspects of Kudos’ inboard supply chain and production working alongside the existing team.
Savant & Artison Soundbars now with standardsized grille Today’s market conditions have us all moving at a fast pace, and demand for quick-install home audio is unprecedented. To help you meet these opportunities, we are pleased to announce that every Artison and Savant Soundbar will now include a standard width grille in the box, making it easier than ever to deliver great sound to your customers.
For further information, contact the industry professionals at RGB Communications.
rgbcomms.co.uk or call us today on
01488 73366 RGB Head Office, 2 Lambourn Business Park, Lambourn Woodlands, Hungerford, RG17 7RY
Tayloe Stansbury Chief Executive Officer
essentialinstall.com
@Install_mag
Norma Garcia-Muro Vice President of Marketing
Distributor of the Year Finalist
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DECEMBER 2020 07 EI Strip Ads December.indd 1
25/11/2020 13:1
Go straight to the source The ci series incorporates cutting edge technologies and audio quality from the world-renowned PMC studio monitors that have been responsible for countless hit records and movies, into the ultimate in slimline, high-performance on-wall and in-wall loudspeakers. • SLICK, EFFORTLESS INSTALLATION • PROFESSIONAL STUDIO RELIABILITY • PHENOMENAL SOUND QUALITY • BEAUTIFUL BEZEL-LESS DESIGN • NO DISTURBANCE TO ADJOINING ROOMS • VAST, EVEN SOUND COVERAGE • DEEP, PRECISE BASS AT ALL LEVELS To recreate the awe-inspiring realism and dynamics of a hit record or blockbuster movie, there is no better choice of loudspeaker than the ones used to make them.
The ci140 and ci140sub are dedicated on-wall designs. All other models may be mounted in or on-wall, thanks to the Qikfire™ fittings, bezel-less grille and stylish cabinet sleeve.
Find out more T 01767 686300
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NEWS
‘EXPERIENCE SOUND’ THROUGH INVISION Invision is pleased to announce an exclusive distribution deal with premium speaker brand Krix Loudspeakers. Krix offers a wide range of residential and commercial professional-grade cinema products, globally. The distribution deal will see the full range of Krix’s residential products available to Invision’s customers throughout the UK and Ireland. Mark Taylor, commercial director at Invision, said, “Our mission has been to bring together the very best brands across the smart home sector for our customers. The inclusion of Krix, a high-end cinema speaker brand, is the next step in achieving that.
“It is important that these speaker systems are specified and integrated to the highest level and we know that Invision’s exceptional service, experience and technical ability make them the perfect partner to deliver the ultimate cinema experience. ‘Real Cinema at Home’ as we like to say!” The MX40, the flagship system of the Series MX range, has been installed at Invision’s reference home cinema in Bracknell. Featuring a three-way design, it is capable of high sound pressure levels while maintaining the absolute highest level of soundtrack reproduction. Installers can book a demo to ‘Experience Sound’ by contacting Invision.
“Our audio portfolio consists of everything you need to build the perfect audio environment. Encompassing award-winning speakers, subwoofers,
Invision invisionuk.com
home cinema processors and amplifiers, the addition of Krix’s products amplifies our product offering in this area.” Michael Cox, marketing manager at Krix added, “Krix are very pleased to be working with Invision for our UK distribution. Our loudspeakers are engineered with a strong focus on clarity, dynamic range and immense output. They’re able to convey all the action, emotion and drama of a movie to allow the
Krix has joined the Invision lineup
viewer to escape reality.”
DoACOUSTICS LAUNCHES IN THE UK DoAcoustics says its range combines beautiful looks, effortless performance with small footprint yet bigsounding loudspeakers. DoAcoustics, a loudspeaker brand from Scilly, is proud to announce that its unique MicroDesign range of products is now available in the UK. Featuring twochannel stereo, home cinema and active models, the range consists of stand-mount, floor standing and home cinema speakers that all carry the same design philosophy – discrete, slim and understated in appearance, yet able to produce a very natural performance that belies the cabinet size. The brain-child of life-long professional musician and Hi-Fi store owner Davide Oliveri, DoAcoustics was founded in Catania, Sicily in 2011, with the dream of being able to reproduce near-field monitor studio sound in a domestically acceptable package. Davide designed the complete range himself with the guiding eye of his wife Raffaella, who, as an architect and designer, is no stranger to industrial design. All models in the range are transmission-line designs, yet offer a very slim 10cm wide front profile thanks to the use of TB and SEAS 3in drivers. Featuring a mixture of full-range and bass-only drivers dependant on the model, DoAcoustic’s found that the use of multiple smaller drivers meant that
their designs were faster to react to transient signals, have better off-axis dispersion and a better damping factor, all of which delivered the performance they were aiming for. The range consists of three stand-mount designs – Microcosmo, Macrocosmo and Macrocosmo Reference and the Armonia Mundi, Armonia Mundi Impact and Armonia Mundi Impact Active floorstanders.
Since 2003, Artison has set the standard in innovative solutions for home theatres, music reproduction and AV meeting rooms. Their product range includes; unique dual channel technology ‘left, centre, right’ speakers which eliminate the need for a centre speaker, soundbars designed to be hidden in plain sight, easy to install architectural in-wall/ ceiling speakers, amplifiers and the world’s smallest high-performance subwoofer.
Contact the experts at RGB today to find out more.
DoAcoustics doacoustics.it/en/home/ All models are available in a range of standard colours that include white matt, black matt, natural bamboo, purple matt and green matt
rgbcomms.co.uk or call us today on
01488 73366 RGB Head Office, 2 Lambourn Business Park, Lambourn Woodlands, Hungerford, RG17 7RY
Distributor of the Year Finalist
essentialinstall.com
@Install_mag
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DECEMBER 2020 09 EI Strip Ads December.indd 2
25/11/2020 13:1
BRAVIA Bonus Pick up a little something extra for no extra charge when you buy Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays Between 1 October 2020 and 19 March 2021 your company can receive an additional Sony product for no extra charge (“a BRAVIA Bonus”) when you purchase Sony Professional Displays with a product code beginning “FW”. Simply register your company’s participation in the promotion via the URL below and we will track your sales through our participating UK Authorised Distributors. When the promotional period closes, we will send out the BRAVIA Bonus. It’s as simple as that!
And as an extra incentive to take part, each month one company will receive a PlayStation®5 console. Terms and conditions apply, see website for details.
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Participants must be dealers who are registered in the United Kingdom and Ireland (including accredited and not accredited dealers), and do not have a dedicated Sony Account Manager (“Participants”). “SONY” is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation. “BRAVIA” is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Corporation.“PlayStation Family Mark,” “PlayStation,” and “PS5 logo” are registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
NEWS
AQUAVISION TO SUPPLY DIRECT TO THE TRADE Aquavision, manufacturer of high-end televisions, has announced that the company is improving its distribution route to deal direct with trade customers. As a result of the ambition to extend growth as the UK’s largest specialist television manufacturer and make the product portfolio more accessible, the Aquavision team is welcoming the opportunity to service the requirements of the trade directly. Aquavision’s brand has been built on expertise gained through its involvement in the Custom Install sector. Purchasing direct gives customers access to specialised customer support, a database of technical resources and will improve lead times and responsiveness to inquiries. All trade customers are invited to register an account and for the first three orders through Aquavision, the company is offering an extra 10% discount on top of the standard trade discount. Simply quote ‘NEW10’ on initial orders. To open an account complete the PDF available on the website and send it to sales@aquavision.tv. Trade customers will be given access to the organisation’s new Trade Portal. This database contains information, from brochures and price lists, to product images and installation videos, and will be updated regularly so trade customers are kept up to date.
Alastair Benn, Aquavision’s Managing Director, explained, “Enabling trade customers to purchase direct is a significant change for Aquavision. We are excited for the opportunity to develop partnerships with installers.’ He adds ‘This year has been interesting for the CI industry, but we are confident that we will end 2020 on a high note and look forward to next year and our continued investment in our manufacturing, distribution and service facility, as well as innovative new products.” Aquavision aquavision.tv A new supply structure has been launched for Aquavision
Merry Christmas from RGB
INTRINSIC GROUP EXPANDS TRAINING WITH SAVANT FOR EMEA/APAC After establishing an ELAN training programme in the UK in 2019 for UK ELAN distributor Alltrade, Intrinsic Group has just announced the expansion of the company’s training resources and facilities to now include Savant as an additional platform. The new, purpose written course is hosted in partnership with global sales and marketing company The BIG Corp and supported by Savant US. Sessions are hosted across multiple time zones to cover both EMEA and APAC, the first sessions started this November and are running monthly after that into 2021. The training courses are designed as an in depth follow on into specific areas (from dealer feedback), as a natural extension to Savant’s standard training offering. Training will be delivered by Intrinsic’s Senior Solutions Architect, Rob Thompson, who is a familiar figure in the world of Savant. November’s offering was entitled ‘Savant Custom Triggers and Workflows’ and took place on November 5.0 For more information email info@ intrinsicgrouplimited.com. William Hopkins, Intrinsic Group CEO, said, “Our company has always been about supporting dealers and training is at the heart of that. We are pleased to be working alongside BIG Corp and Savant to be able to offer this additional resource to the Savant community. In Rob’s delivery you can clearly see his
years of experience in Savant support and training and in working alongside Pete Baker (BIG Corp President), Kevin Huppert and Trevor De Maat (Savant), we have the perfect grouping to create industry leading support that really helps dealers”. Intrinsic continues to run its popular ELAN training courses on a monthly basis and is always looking to support other distributors and control platforms with their support and training needs.
We would like to wish you, your family and colleagues a Merry Christmas, and a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your business during this difficult year, we do appreciate it very much.
Intrinsic Group intrinsicdev.com Get in touch to find out more about this new training opportunity
rgbcomms.co.uk or call us today on
01488 73366 RGB Head Office, 2 Lambourn Business Park, Lambourn Woodlands, Hungerford, RG17 7RY
Distributor of the Year Finalist
essentialinstall.com
@Install_mag
/Essentialinstall
DECEMBER 2020 11 EI Strip Ads December.indd 3
25/11/2020 13:1
NEWS
GIRA BY INTALITE UK: NEW LONDON SHOWROOM Gira, responds to rising consumer demand for smart
Mark Booth, Managing Director at Gira UK,
homes, by opening a new dedicated showroom
said, “I am delighted that we can work together with
this November 2020 in partnership with its latest
Intalite to show our extensive range of products
nationwide distributor Intalite UK. Following an international rebrand and extensive business development, Gira anticipates growing interest in the latest smart home technology and is pleased to work in collaboration to open the new Gira by Intalite UK showroom on Merton High Street in South Wimbledon, London. A five minute walk from South Wimbledon
designed to enhance every aspect of modern life. We are very proud of our design-led, innovative approach at Gira, which means we are always finding new ways to serve our customers and better support their evolving needs. We anticipate an increasing blend of solutions to facilitate work and leisure, as working from home continues for the foreseeable future and
Underground station and convenient for the A24
look forward to welcoming visitors to our new Gira by
to Surrey and Sussex with parking available, this
Intalite showroom virtually or in person, with stringent
high street showroom offers a display of intelligent
health and safety measures in place for added peace
lighting, heating, cooling, and smart home solutions
of mind.”
by Gira.
John Keenan, Managing Director, Intalite UK
With experts on hand to guide retail and commercial customers through the new possibilities of an intuitive building, this beautifully designed showroom will cater for integrators, architects, property developers and homeowners. Created to serve both commercial and retail customers, the showroom combines interactive light boxes with conversation starting displays, so that consumers can get a better understanding of the features and
UK added, “we are really excited to partner with Gira and show our customers how smart home technology is becoming a driving force behind contemporary lighting design. Now more than ever, we need to ensure we’re able to quickly respond to new areas of desirability with market leading product differentiators and technological edge.”
benefits of intelligent homes: including climate,
Gira
light and blind control alongside award-winning Gira
partner.gira.com
Design Lines for switches and sockets.
intalite.co.uk
Together for Cinema recently completed its 25th install at the White Lodge Centre in Chertsey
A new opportunity to showcase Gira has opened in London
essentialinstall.com
@Install_mag
/Essentialinstall
DECEMBER 2020 13
ESSENTIAL BLUSTREAM
BLUSTREAM: SERIOUSLY SUPPORTIVE EI spoke with Aiden Jones, Technical Director and Dan Adams, Technical Projects Director, to assess the continued success of Blustream based on a platform agnostic and comprehensive product line up and a level of personalised support that makes every Blustream customer part of the family.
In terms of its product line up, Aiden and Dan are at pains to underline that Blustream is and always has been platform agnostic. Neither favouring Video over IP or HDMI distribution means the company can offer the right product for every project and customer without an internal priority blurring any product recommendations or support provided.
Dan (left) and Aiden are taking the lead in delivering a high-level of commitment in customer care for Blustream installers
14 DECEMBER 2020
For the uninitiated, Blustream offers an exhaustive line up of competitively priced signal control, connectivity, distribution, and matrix products for the residential and commercial sectors exploiting in the main Video over IP and HDBaseT technologies. Aiden states, “Some key lines for us include our Video over IP solution, Multicast UHD which offers near latency free distribution of HDMI video over a 1GB network switch. Exploiting visually lossless compression technology, Multicast delivers HDMI, IR, RS232 and USB/ KVM up to lengths of 100m over a single CAT cable, it can also independently route all of these feeds. We are very confident in this line’s abilities; it compares extremely well with other systems, particularly in the creation of really large systems without having to be networking expert.” Aiden adds, “In the HDBaseT matrix camp, the range includes the Contractor, Essential and Custom Pro (in order of entry to specialist) families offering progression based on price and functionality as your move through the range. The Custom Pro line is our modular offering where installers can choose exactly what they need for each project, again we are looking to make the products the industry really needs, why pay for extra technology and capabilities in a system that you don’t need?” The Blustream family also extends out to include HDBaseT and HDMI extenders/ distributors and audio integration products too. Dan explains, “We have created a range that whilst it covers all the bases in terms of functionality, the number of skews is kept to a sensible, efficient and manageable level. It makes the product family easy to navigate and means that we sell lots of everything we make, there is very little inefficiency in our product creation approach.
“We don’t want to create products that there is no strong demand for, so everything is based on practical real-world solutions that our customers will get lots of use from. A good example of this is our CAT100AU Audio over CAT 5/6 extender kit, a straightforward solution we think, not many make an extender like this and consequently its often the first product people buy from us. A real strength of Blustream is identifying market needs, developing them, and then supporting fully the products before, during and then after the sale has taken place.”
A STRONG START
Starting mainly as a residential solutions provider in 2014, the team is keen to underline that the company now also offers a fulsome line-up for those operating in the commercial sector. The Multicast platform for example is happy in residential or commercial settings and the company has also seen strong demand in the commercial world for products that offer USB-C compatibility. Dan argues, “One of the strengths of Blustream is our variety and the fact that we don’t rely on one market sector or one type of approach. Not keeping all our eggs in one basket means we have coped well over the COVID-19 period and have been able to be agile and support dealers that needed products or just our help. One of our other most important product mantras is ‘We don’t run out of stock!’. We are fortunate in that our company invests hugely in the product lines and so getting the equipment needed to installers should never be a problem. Our other product mantra is ‘test, test and test some more’, nothing goes out into the market before we are totally confident it will cope with the job its being asked to do.”
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ESSENTIAL BLUSTREAM
Aiden adds, “We don’t just want to deliver products into the market with the right functionality and at the right price, channels are very important to us as well. We only pick distribution partners that share our commitment to high-level support and customer care.”
DELIVERING BACK UP
we know lots and can usually help very quickly. Ultimately it’s our job to protect integrators relationships with their customers”. Dan enthuses, “It might sound like a cliché, but although we deal with technology, this is a people industry, it’s about making people happy, that’s what installers do and it’s our job to build relationships with our customers that makes that goal easier to reach.” Training wise Blustream has on-line and (restrictions permitting) in-person options. Aiden explains, “In person training is so vital when we can get to it, we get just as much from it as our customers. So much of what we do and what we build is created by listening. Blustream really is a family and we all support each other to reach a higher level of performance, it’s just easier to build those relationships in person.” Dan adds, “Our training approach does not take a sales lead approach. We try and provide context and a better understanding of the technologies that are driving the market, that way our products, when we do mention them, make more sense, because what they do is fully understood. A strong example of this was the training we provided at EI Live! in 2019 where we offered installers the chance to ‘Become a Certified HDBaseT Installer’, a real business benefit that installers could take away with them.” Blustream also looked to enhance the company’s webinar offering during the first lockdown with the normal one or two a week moving to something taking place most days. The company prefers short punchy sessions, which deliver useful information but do not tie up dealers for too long.
Aiden explains, “During that period we really wanted to spread the love and help our customers fill the time usefully, on some of the sessions we had as many as 80 people. Over the first lockdown we spoke to close to 1,000 customers and it really helped maintain momentum and morale.”
A LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Another digital based option includes the Advanced Learning Portal where many courses are hosted so that installers can go through learning at their own pace and when they have time. So, what does the future hold? Aiden reveals, “Some key highlights for the residential market would be expanding the Multicast Video over IP platform to include an entry level 1080p variant, additional functionality to complement the existing IP200UHD series of 4K over 1GbE and a move into the 18Gbps space on the SDVoE platform. We also have planned enhancements to our Contractor Series HDBaseT matrix products bringing a significant new feature and there is also a refresh of the Essential Series of HDBaseT matrix products that will cover the most common I/O structures and include additional features that have been developed from our partner feedback.” The final message from Aiden and Dan is simply to get in touch, the team is standing by to help. Blustream blustream.co.uk
The level of enthusiasm for supporting Blustream customers is palpable as soon as the subject is raised. Dan says, “When people ask me what my job is, I say, ‘I help people’. It is as simple as that, naturally we have systems in place to help us do that, but it is our personal commitment to the customers that we feel makes the difference. We are enablers, that is what we do, need us to be on site at short notice? or just have a question that can be answered simply and quickly? just get in touch, it’s our job to make your journey through each project easier. The level of support we personally commit to comes right from the top of the company and is a shared value we all have. Once we sell a system, that is just the start, it is the backup we provide that keeps customers coming back for more.” Aiden continues, “On a practical level we have live chat on the website, email support, phone lines managed by real people, and we have lots of training resources. As we have bases in the UK and Australia, we can provide support 20 hours of the day in person, a feature that will expand to 24 hours of the day when our U.S office opens soon. Beyond the support and training systems, as Dan underlined, is our personal support, our phones are not switched off at 5.30, if we can help, reach out. We do not expect our dealers to know everything about our products, so ask us,
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DECEMBER 2020 15
ESSENTIAL HDANYWHERE
HOME GAME WIN Vouchers for any items in this high-quality range. HDA Pro Performance Vouchers, ranging in value from £5 to £200 (GBP), are earned by registering five or more HDANYWHERE MHUBs to your HDA Pro Cloud account or for top-five HDA sales performance with an HDANYWHERE distribution partner. The first 10 EI readers to visit the HDANYWHERE Merchandise Store on HDANYWHERE.COM can obtain a free HDA cap by using promo code SUPERFLY when selecting the cap. HDANYWHERE HDANYWHERE.COM
HDANYWHERE introduces a cool new Crestron collaboration Are you a Crestron Home integrator? Ultamation, one of the premier developers of Crestron Certified Drivers for thirdparty integration, have released their new HDANYWHERE-approved MHUB driver for Crestron Home. Coinciding with the new AV switcher support just released for the Crestron Home platform, this first driver gives integrators the opportunity to seamlessly integrate one or more HDANYWHERE MHUBs into Crestron Home projects. This not only helps integrators meet a wider range of client budgets by being able to offer HDANYWHERE MHUB as a video distribution alternative, but also offer the following functionality: MHUB U series • Switching 18G 4K HDMI sources to all 18G 4K video zones up to 40m away (HDBaseT) MHUB PRO 2.0 series • Switching 18G 4K HDMI sources to all 18G 4K video zones between 40m and 100m away • Switching MHUB PRO 2.0 audio inputs to any video and/or audio zone • Switching Audio Return Channel from any compatible display connected to the MHUB PRO 2.0 to any video and/or audio zone With particular reference to control, there will be further development of this driver in the future to exploit the powerful HDANYWHERE API that facilitates their Expand IO Advanced Drivers,
16 DECEMBER 2020
which have already made HDANYWHERE MHUB a firm favourite of Control4 and RTI integrators around the world. This advanced API allows control brands using an HDA Expand IO Advanced Driver to essentially use MHUB’s IR ports as if they were native IR Ports to control the sources, displays and an AVR (as well as one-way CEC and RS232 control of displays over HDBaseT with MHUB PRO 2.0 and MHUB MINI). This means simplified and tidier control infrastructure for the project, along with a reduction in the number (and associated cost) of I/O expansion hardware devices in a project - a win-win advantage for both integrators and endusers alike. If you are an HDA Pro using Crestron Home, this first new HDANYWHERE driver opens up possibilities for you to deliver the highest level of video, audio switching and distribution for projects using both brands. If you are a Crestron Integrator, you want to join the HDA Pro family. HDANYWHERE MHUB can help you deliver beautiful AV experiences to your client while dramatically reducing the cost of integrating high-quality video and audio switching and distribution within a Crestron Home solution. Visit www.ultamation.com to purchase this powerful driver for your next project. For HDA Pros and any other fans of HDANYWHERE, by popular request a Merchandise Store is now open on HDANYWHERE.COM, where integrators and fans alike can purchase stylish HDA apparel or Pros can redeem their HDA Pro Performance
Cool HDANYWHERE apparel is now available
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CRESTRON HOME™
HDANYWHERE ™ in your Crestron Home™ HDANYWHERE MHUB can now be seamlessly integrated into Crestron Home projects, adding a new dimension of great value, high-quality video, audio and even ARC switching and distribution throughout the property, depending on the MHUB used
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ESSENTIAL PULSE CINEMAS
ANTHEM BRINGS ITS A GAME
Anthem has announced and will soon be launching all-new MRX 540, 740 and 1140 AV Receivers, AVM 70 and 90 AV Processors and MCA 225, 325 and 525 Power Amplifiers. An impressive reinvention of this already popular line. Simon Schino, Brand manager at Pulse Cinemas, says, “We are really excited to announce the most significant launch to date from processing and amplification specialist Anthem. One of our key brands, it’s great to see Anthem deliver so many improvements and new features with this release. “The refreshed family of receivers, processors and power amplifiers deliver new features, capabilities and robust integration opportunities designed to place Anthem as the ultimate power centre of premium home cinema and audio systems. Its also worth noting that these new models are aesthetically pleasing, so can be hidden away in a rack or placed on show if that is what suits the project. Having received strong feedback on the good looks of the STR Series of amps, Anthem has enhanced the looks of these new products too.” Kapes Patel, Technical Director at Pulse Cinemas, says, “Part of my role is to identify the technical excellence and performance capabilities of the products we offer and pass these on to our installation partners. The improvements delivered by Anthem in this new release are seriously impressive. We have already seen strong interest with pre-orders and we are confident these new products will deliver exceptional performance out in the field.” In detail the new products include the all-new MRX 540, 740 and 1140 AV
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Receivers, AVM 70 and 90 AV Processors and MCA 225, 325 and 525 Power Amplifiers. Featuring room correction via Arc Genesis, expert management of the latest audio formats and robust integration; these new additions are designed to enable Anthem to continue Strong performance for the money. Each line up has been refreshed with thought regarding the features and capabilities that performance enthusiasts want. The new releases are a culmination of the research and learnings from the past five years and have been enacted in an attempt to make Anthem the ultimate powerhouse of any home cinema or media room. New MCA Power Amplifiers are a perfect match for the AVM 70 and AVM 90 AV Processors, both sonically and cosmetically. “Our fans and dealers have been anxiously awaiting these next generations and we are pleased to be unveiling products with such rich feature sets,” says John Bagby, Managing Director, Paradigm Electronics Inc. owners of the Anthem brand. “We’ve had the opportunity to design and create new products that really set the benchmark in terms of delivering tremendous performance for a great value. Being able to continue that legacy is something we’re very excited about.” Anthem: AVM AV Processors Anthem’s new AVM 70 and flagship AVM 90 AV Processors bring all of today’s technologies into a single component. Features include: • Latest version of ARC Genesis Room correction. • Anthem Web User Interface. • All-New Electronics Platform, up to 15.4
channels, HDMI 2.0b, HDCP 2.2, hardware upgradeable to HDMI 2.1 (8K). • New Networking Platform with web-based setup and over-the-air updates. • Next-Generation DSP Platform. • Modernised Design with high-resolution front panel display. • MM Phono Stage. • Object-oriented audio codecs with support for up to 15.4 channels. • Built-in streaming support for Apple AirPlay2, Google Chromecast, Bluetooth. Spotify Connect (coming soon) and Roon (coming soon). • Video support including 7 HDMI 2.0b inputs with 2 outputs. • eARC for seamless integration with smart TVs. • Passthrough of Ultra HD signals at up to 18.2 Gbps with Dolby Vision, HDR or Hybrid Log-Gamma. • Redesigned and more accurate calibration microphone. The AVM 90 is Anthem’s new flagship AV Processor with upgraded audio circuitry, four independent subwoofer outputs and a 32-bit AKM AK4499EQ DAC with 768kHz sampling capability. Anthem AVM: MRX AV Receivers Anthem’s MRX AV Receivers are about maximising performance for the money. Building on the feature set of previous models, the MRX 540, 740 and 1140 now include: • Latest version of ARC Genesis Room correction.
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ESSENTIAL PULSE CINEMAS • Anthem Web User Interface. • Integrated streaming support. • New Electronics Platform, up to 15.2 channels. • Ultra HD signals are passed through unaltered up to 18.2 Gbps with Dolby Vision, HDR and Hybrid Log-Gamma support. • 7 HDMI inputs and 2 outputs, plus eARC. • HDMI 2.0b HDCP 2.2, Hardware Upgradeable to HDMI 2.1 (8K), and up to 140W per channel. • Platform Agnostic Streaming with AirPlay2, Google Chromecast (Audio), Bluetooth v4.2, and Spotify Connect (coming soon!) and Roon (coming soon!). • New Networking Platform with web-based setup and over-the-air updates. • Next-Generation DSP Platform. • Modernized Design with high-resolution front panel display. • Redesigned and more accurate calibration microphone. Anthem MRX: MCA Amplifiers Anthem’s new MCA Power Amplifiers are available in 2, 3 and 5 channel configurations and are a perfect match for the AVM 70 and AVM 90 AV Processors both sonically and cosmetically. These Gen2 amplifiers are Crafted in Canada and provide greater transparency with dynamically complex material. Background noise is almost completely eliminated thanks to a 120dB signal-to-noise ratio. Power ratings start at 225W into 8 Ohms and go up to 600W into 2 Ohms with perfect stability while driving the most demanding speaker loads. Advanced Load Monitoring ensures protection from clipping and maintains longterm performance and reliability. High current output and low distortion enable full immersion into a movie or music track. Anthem MCA: Additional features include • High current output for lower distortion. • Cosmetic match for AVM 90 and AVM 70 AV Processors.
MCA’s scalability means customers can purchase only the channels needed to power their vision of home entertainment. AVM Processors can now manage configurations up to 15.4 channels (up from 11.2) with ARC Genesis Room Correction, ensuring the best possible sound at every seat. Modern aesthetics extend to every component in the MCA and AVM lines. All MCA power amps are Crafted in Canada.
INTRODUCING ANTHEM WEB USER INTERFACE
Anthem is a company that prides itself on listening to its dealers in all aspects of its product development and and customer support. The company explains that due to overwhelmingly positive feedback received on the introduction of the Web User Interface set-up on the MDX matrix distribution amplifier range, Anthem has implemented a further improved version for this new series of products too. Consequently, the Anthem Web User Interface is now built into all MRX Receivers and AVM Processors. Using a phone, tablet or laptop, owners or installers can easily access any function or setting and make changes on the fly. Power the main or second zone on and off, adjust volume, change audio modes or tweak channel trims for a perfect surround sound experience. Web UI can also be used to calibrate speaker delays and levels and configure network
settings/control options. Source devices can be renamed, simplifying set up by enabling the elimination of unused inputs. Installers can import and export files to make remote management simple and convenient.
AVM PROCESSOR & MRX RECEIVER CHANNEL RE-ASSIGNMENT AVM Processor and MRX Receiver channels can be assigned in many ways. Biamp demanding speakers by assigning unused channels to bass or mid-range drivers. Extra channels power an additional audio zone in a whole-house system. Set up any configuration of height, width or presence speakers in a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X system; then balance the presentation with ARC Genesis. Summing up the release, Kapes enthuses, “We are lucky to work with some of the best brands in the world, and when those great brands release something that is even better than they offered before, its one of those moments that we live for as a company. Having already had hands on experience with the improvements made, I can tell our install partners they are in for a real treat!” Pulse Cinemas pulsecinemas.com
• Advanced Load Monitoring system ensures long-term performance. • 8 bipolar output devices per channel for less stress on each device. • Crafted in Canada.
LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES
Today’s premium home cinemas need support for as many as 15 speakers and four subwoofers to handle the latest Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-oriented audio codecs. Pairing an AVM 70 or AVM 90 AV Processor with a stack of MCA amplifiers produces a sound that rivals the best commercial cinemas, says Anthem.
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DECEMBER 2020 19
ESSENTIAL HABITECH
THE ONLY WAY IS UP Habitech is facing the same stark realities as your business, but we’re evangelising the value of flawless design and performance. If you share this vision, we’d love to work with you
The completely bespoke 7.4.2 CinemaTech/Sonance cinema at Basingstoke. Below: Habitech’s new London Showroom is open by invitation only at Park Crescent W1
At the close of a difficult year, Habitech is starting the new one on a mission to strengthen expertise and delivery at the high end, backed by the most powerful platform of dealer support in its history. For Sales Manager Timmi Thorsen, the only way is up. 2020 has taught us all we need to know about the changing dynamics of our industry. Massive spikes in demand for cloud services have seen their little IoT helpers taking up residence on our patch in their millions - most of them from online vendors and DIY installed. Months of COVID down time have thrown a lens over a long-developing existential reality: the ‘smart home’ of popular imagination has very little to do with CI. Internet-connected plug-and-play smarts epitomised by the march of Sonos in the last decade have been eating your profitability from the inside, consuming your business future in a riot of price erosion. Barriers to entry have been demolished. You need to consider a new path to growth and prosperity. We believe it’s time to side-step the smarthome bloodbath in favour of the original design creativity, performance and quality of CEDIA’s founding ideology at the higher end of the market. Here your skills still matter and carry a premium reward, which is why, by no coincidence at all, Habitech is investing six figure sums to support you. Serendipity is a wonderful thing!
20 DECEMBER 2020
STRONGER TOGETHER
We’ve spent the last few years staring into the IoT rabbit hole and concluded that there’s no alternative to greater specialisation in the quest for richer rewards. Habitech is a small, specialised company facing the same stark realities as your business, but we’ve moved decisively up-market with our brand portfolio and services. With brands such as Wisdom Audio, James Loudspeaker and CinemaTech, we’re evangelising the value of flawless design and performance, and if you share this vision, we’d love to work with you. Right now, our high-end dealer support platform is being mobilised to help your business win lucrative new contracts in the market for bespoke systems design. We’re completing an unparalleled new suite of demo rooms at Basingstoke. Alongside we’re opening a London demonstration cinema for invitation only, and we’re transforming the commercial power of the website in order to make your interactions with Habitech faster and more profitable. By helping you to secure new business and customers, we hope to involve you in our ambition to be the industry’s most effective source of luxury AV product, know-how and support.
PEAK DEMO
In answer to the question ‘how would you like your sound to look?’, the entire ground floor office space at Basingstoke has been converted into a walkthrough parade of demo environments conceived to inspire
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ESSENTIAL HABITECH Seeing is believing: Samsung’s phenomenal ‘The Wall’ display forms part of the peerless new demo facilities at Basingstoke
your customers with real-world experiences in room spaces similar to their own. Included is the new Wisdom Audio room (the brand’s flagship European demo space), featuring a ‘dual-aspect’ lounge involving, on one axis, an incomparable two-channel system of LS4 line source speakers and STS sub, driven by Wisdom amps and processing, and in the other a 7.2.2 point source system of P4i satellites, S90i subs and P2i in-ceilings driven by Acurus amplification and processing. Step beyond the Wisdom room into the ‘ultimate media room’ environment, designed to transform expectations of architectural speaker performance. Even experienced listeners will be left open-mouthed by the high-octane fidelity of James’ high output small aperture in-ceiling speakers and game-changing new Sonance IS10 Motion Flex Invisibles. Flanking the space is a new demo wall starring stereo pairs of James’ innovative indoor/outdoor 62QUE on-walls and 53QW 2-way wedge speakers, which integrate seamlessly with the wall/ceiling boundary for height channels, or under eaves for discreet high-volume installs outside. At right angles to the demo wall, is another. Samsung’s astonishing smart LED display dubbed ‘The Wall’ is a flawless visual concept, which can be scaled to virtually any size on a
slim bezel-less ‘infinity’ frame, finished to reflect the design elements of the space. Comprising multiple 80cm panels, the genius of this technology makes the joins undetectable - even up close - while the intuitive resolution-to-screen size adjustment capability delivers perfect picture quality at any size, up to 8K resolution, for a truly exclusive and immersive experience. ‘The Wall’ must be the ultimate expression of luxury for commercial galleries, large media spaces and home theatres. Everyone who sees it will desire it.
in the value of custom AV design, but for those who would rather not travel to Basingstoke we’ve mirrored the 11.4.4 Wisdom cinema at an exclusive new invitation-only showroom located within the opulent setting of Park Crescent overlooking Regent’s Park. The message we’re sending couldn’t be more emphatic: when the need for solidarity in pursuit of quality is paramount, Habitech is covering all bases - and not just at the front end. Our on-line ID is getting a reboot from the ground up as well.
RAISING THE BAR
WIDER SHOP WINDOW
Maintaining the wow factor from ultimate visible to invisible is the job of the new Sonance audio room, housing systems of the new Motion Flex invisible speakers and subs including, in advance of general availability, the IS15W woofers. Joining the IS systems, and demonstrating the widest choice of lowprofile audio options for smaller media room environments are Sonance in-ceiling VP46/66 pairings together with a ‘Reference’ 2.1 system and a James’ 5.1 configuration of SPL5Q LCR soundbar, QXC620S in-ceiling surrounds and 1000PT ‘PowerPipe’ sub. Here your customers will get a real taste of super-discreet high-end sound for their multi-use kitchen/diners and informal snug spaces.
SELLING DESIRE
Stepping up to the ideal of complete room design, the luxury, acoustically optimised 7.4.2 CinemaTech cinema flawlessly conceals Sonance Reference 2 LCRs and surrounds, VP86 in-ceilings, R12 and i10 impact subs, driven by Arcam amplification and processing. If your clients ever wonder what ‘immersion’ feels like, this demo will leave a lasting impression. And tipping the scales in every way, the adjacent newly refurbished flagship 11.4.4 Wisdom cinema will reveal the jaw-dropping possibilities of high-end cinema at its most sublime level.
Reference quality: Wisdom’s esoteric LS4 linesource speakers are amongst the systems featured in the new Wisdom room - the brand’s flagship European demo space
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Using Oracle’s NetSuite Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) as a single integrated source of real-time data, our new website will be the shop window you’ve always wanted, giving you the power to check inventory, issue and track orders, monitor purchase history, check returns and servicing, and track financials on-line 24/7. Access to product information and technical support will be streamlined as well, making your interaction with Habitech easier and more efficient. And while the new portal will automate your experience to some extent, there will always be an expert on the end of a phone to talk to.
THE ONLY WAY IS UP
In the age of the DIY smart thing there’s always a more valuable target too aim at. Habitech is welcoming 2021 with a bid for closer and more profitable relationships built around the most exclusive and rarefied custom AV experiences. We’re placing all our bets on stronger mutual outcomes, and if you share that vision, join us in partnership. Habitech habitech.co.uk
LONDON SHOWROOM
Catering for virtually every space and budget, our new demos will help your customers believe
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DECEMBER 2020 21
BASEC ADVERTORIAL
PREPARING YOUR CABLING FOR POWER OVER ETHERNET BASEC underlines the importance of the development of Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology. Power over Ethernet (PoE) refers to the phenomenon of running power and data transmission through the same cable, eliminating the need for separate wiring for each purpose. In doing so, this reduces installation costs and improves flexibility by removing redundant cabling. There is no denying the window of opportunity PoE technology has created, however the need for power and data through a singular cable has caused additional infrastructure considerations. Utilising existing cable structures reduces installation time and money, however in order to do this the cable needs to be fit to accommodate the additional current being transmitted. This article will discuss the innovation surrounding PoE, as well as the considerations that should be made to ensure the right data cable is used for your specific PoE needs.
The uses There are many industries that have successfully adopted the use of PoE, for example surveillance cameras, air conditioning systems, telephones and supermarket checkouts. PoE has improved efficiency and created opportunity however without the correct structured cabling infrastructure in place it can experience multiple issues such as overheating or connection issues affecting the integrity of the data for the end user.
Progression of standards When considering which data cables are fit for your operations, there are some key cabling recommendations for PoE applications. If a data cable is exposed to heat, the attenuation of the cable rises and can affect signal performance. For this reason, ISO and TIA standards define an operating temperature of no higher than 20°c. When power flows through your cables, the copper conductors will start to generate heat and in turn cause the data cable’s operating temperature to rise. This is a common occurrence when the cables are bundled together, which is often how they are installed but prevents heat from escaping and causing build up.
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As PoE standards allow for higher power transmission, as resistance increases a rise in temperature can also been seen for the cable and its surrounding areas. As such this consideration has now become more of a conscious design feature required for data cables destined for implementation in complex infrastructures.
Industrial integrity and performance
There has been an increased use of PoE cables within industrial environments. Factories and warehouses are also increasingly using smart technologies to streamline their business processes. The use of PoE within these devices reduces the number of cables and removes restrictions in terms of installation, location and more. However, these cables can be more significantly prone to damage. As a direct consequence of the environments within which they are placed, cables can often fall, drop or risk being crushed. This in turn could compromise their ability to transfer data or transmit power. Damaged cables can cause machine outages which could have a huge financial implication on the organisation. PoE cabling is used in a wide range of devices, and within industrial business environments for example: 1. Air-conditioning systems are automated, driven by IoT technologies, using PoE which allows greater flexibility at installation and remote-control enabling monitoring that reaches all areas of the building 2. Smart lighting systems, powered by PoE, which deliver multiple applications via one cabling
system such as motion sensor technologies are proving to be far more efficient 3. Central control units, which link airconditioning technology and other smart applications such as temperature control gauges, typically found within data centres are crucial to preventing the risk of overheating and associated failures. PoE technology allows for both power and temperature data to be transmitted over one cabling structure. 4. In process automation sensor technologies typically found in warehouse conveyer belt systems and similar applications which is often seen to be a new invention, PoE has enabled for both data and power to feed to and from the device for a seamlessly consistent, repeatable processes.
Preparing for the next generation high power PoE
Today’s networks must be fast and reliable, with the flexibility to handle ever-increasing data demands. PoE technology can help expand your network possibilities enabling business flexibility by improving processes and staying competitive. PoE, however, is only effective when installed correctly and to the highest standard. Third party testing and certification ensures data cables meet industry performance standards. Transmission cables holding the BASEC mark will have undergone rigorous laboratory product approvals to prove cable quality, allowing you to meet the need for higher data demand and power supply via one PoE cabling product.
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Introducing Arc
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ESSENTIAL VOICE CONTROL
VOICE CONTROL: WHEN SOMETHING HANDY BECOMES LIFE ALTERING Crestron takes a look at the role voice activation can have in supported living. In some cases, installations with voice control can change lives. For the clients in the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for Disabled People (QEF) for instance. This national disability charity based in Surrey provides a range of expert services that enable disabled people to increase their independence and live the life they choose. The company recently had Crestron systems installed in it’s new flagship Care and Rehabilitation Centre. As a result, clients have greater control over their personal environments. Since the clients of QEF have varied physical limitations, some of which can be severe as a result of an acquired brain injury, stroke or a neurological condition, voice control support plays a major part in the solution. However, since some clients’ conditions means that they have difficulties speaking, other user interfaces will never become obsolete. However, in the typical smart home, voice control comes in useful in a lot of different situations too. When you are leaving the house with your hands full, for instance, it’s very useful to be able to tell Alexa that you’re leaving, so the lights and audio can be turned off and the alarm can be turned on. Or when the parents want to sleep in on Sunday morning, it is a blessing that their child can ask Siri to turn on Paw Patrol, not having to know how to navigate menus to the correct streaming service.
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DECEMBER 2020 25
ESSENTIAL VOICE CONTROL
supports Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri and Josh AI. “The latter is gaining popularity in residential installations lately. They are an upstart company based in Colorado, US, who make very discreet microphones that can be scattered around the home. And while Amazon, Google and Apple transfer the homeowner’s data over the internet, Josh AI keep everything contained within the home, thus answering privacy concerns some endusers have.” But that is not the only change John sees in voice control. “The command set is expanding as we speak. Up until now, voice is mostly used for environmental controls. But that is quickly evolving. This coming year, we expect a rise in importance for audio and video in voice control commands, and deeper voice integration to the control system. Keypads, touch screens, remote controls and mobile apps will never become obsolete. Voice control is an augmented user interface, a nice add on in places where it makes sense to use it. Like when you enter the house with your hands full of groceries. Or when you have limited muscle control. But not when your partner is sleeping next to you. In those cases, you’re glad you can simply push a button to turn off the system.” In the early days, one of the most mentioned disadvantages of voice control was how cumbersome some things were, and how strict in how you had to say them. So, when Amazon opened up partnerships to the channel in 2016, Crestron was one of the first to sign up. “We quickly found a way to take advantage of the smart home skills Amazon offered and take it a step further by creating our own custom skillset”, explains John Clancy, Vice President Residential at Crestron. “This allowed our users to speak a little more naturally.” For example, inside a Crestron home you can say ‘Alexa, tell Crestron it is too warm in the kitchen’, and the temperature will drop with two degrees, instead of having to specifically ask Alexa to drop the temperature. Even more impressive is the ability to use intelligence behind the scenes. For instance, when you use the command ‘Alexa, tell
26 DECEMBER 2020
Crestron it’s too dark in my master bedroom’. If it is daytime, the system knows that it should open the shades, but if it is night time, the system boosts the lights up 10%. For people using the microphone button on their remote or touchscreen, the commands are even more easy. “Since those are programmed to specific rooms and are push-to-talk, you don’t need to use a wake word, and you don’t need to tell it what room you are in. Instead, you can just hold the button down and say, ‘turn the lights off’”, says John. In that aspect, voice control really adds value, especially as Crestron Home
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FINALLY NO COMPROMISE With the performance of high quality visible speakers, the Motion Flex Invisible range changes everything…
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DEMOPAD ADVERTORIAL
THE LAUNCH PAD TO SUCCESSFUL CONTROL! Mike Cain, Managing Director of DemoPad, Provides EI with a complete run down of the company’s flexible and affordable DemoPad Centro Control and Automation platform. Regardless of whether your project is commercial or domestic, DemoPad has 20 years of industry experience in delivering affordable and cutting-edge performance in the control and automation sector. Developed in-house, our software platform and range of hardware deliver an easy to use and flexible system fit for the 21st century. Our offering breaks down into two easily identified areas with our software and our hardware systems. With our systems installed, your customers can control their AV equipment, lighting systems, security as well as HVAC and environmental platforms.
DEMOPAD DESIGNER: CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN SOFTWARE
Our agile and user-friendly PC-based software has been created and engineered so our installation partners can deliver powerful, bespoke iOS or Android control system applications. A flexible approach to deliver a real world solution is a key deliverable from DemoPad, whether you are creating software only solutions, integrating third party manufacturers and or utilising our Centro range of hardware, DemoPad Designer delivers all the creative power and control you could ever need. A Centro Control solution is designed using our PC based designer software which creates the system control the customer will experience via our app. With the easy to use software, you simply specify the devices on your IP network that you
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wish to communicate with, and then design the user interface, either using your own graphics, or for speed and extra convenience; our pre-defined ones. For another level of convenience and deliverable customer and project benefits, it is also possible to use the DemoPad Cloud service when creating and controlling our systems. The Demopad Cloud Portal enables Installers to remotely manage and deploy projects worldwide, allowing for large scale deployment of distributed solutions. The user interface displays live project status for effective management enabling complex changes to be made at the push of a button. Using the Demopad Cloud Portal mean systems are truly bespoke, evolving and changing as the needs of the client develop overtime. Via the DemoPad Cloud platform, projects can be simply deployed via a QR code. To create each project, installers simply use a range of data types, operations and commands to build any control system to match exactly the needs of then customer.
Centro devices are registered securely to the cloud and projects can be deployed to multiple devices fuss free. Data Harvested from any system connected to the cloud can be analysed in graphical or tabular form, and automated actions can be triggered based on that data. Naturally being a fully connected system, via the cloud installers can log on and access a dashboard view of the system to carry out maintenance or quickly resolve any operational issues. We have developed our cloud offering so that security, scalability and availability are woven in as key operational features. The DemoPad Designer Approach means almost any third-party IP device can be controlled, with full two-way feedback, and non-IP devices can be controlled via their IP gateways. Commercial boardroom control systems, residential home systems or whole building lighting systems can all be deployed. Also available within the system are free app-based setup wizards which require no complex programming, just follow the intuitive on-screen setup wizard and with a few clicks
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deploy a fully working solution for a wide range of requirements. Software development is in our DNA and so we are constantly working to evolve and improve our software delivering many new features that you can offer your customers.
These two products connect via hard wired ethernet to the network, they have no processor, so are not capable of scheduled tasks and the like, instead they receive commands from IP clients (typically our CentroControl app) to emit Infra-Red, RS232 or relay commands. They also have several volt free inputs which can be
THE HARDWARE Our Centro range of hardware products partner the software and deliver a family of control points allowing non-IP devices to be controlled via Infra-Red, RS232 or by contact closure. The range sits on a standard IP network and can be controlled via our own software or any other third-party control system. Time and event-based actions happen automatically and logic-based actions can be driven locally or remotely. There is also the ability for control via popular voice activation systems or standard IR remotes. In more detail, the range consists of the Centro-CM and Centro C, affordable IP control gateways which offer a convenient and compact form factor, delivering a link from any network devices / control system to Infra-Red, RS232 and relay contact closure devices.
used to track the status of PIR sensors, or other contact closure type devices. The hardware that sits at the heart of each of our systems is the Centro-8M processor. Combining powerfully with our software, the Centro-8M provides the bridge to your IP devices and delivers control via IP, IR and optional RS232. Adding a Centro-8M is very straight forward, the software scans the network and auto-discovers any Centro-8M units. Once discovered you simply choose to add the hardware into the system. It is also possible to add in the unit manually. Once connected installers can access the web configuration page where all the systems requirements can be set up and security passwords can be created.
A completely new and very exciting product due to be launched early next year comes in the form of our Centro-Nano, a USB stick sized WiFi module which connects to the local network and can be controlled locally or via the cloud, for RS232 and IP control of devices. With the ground-breaking Centro Nano, installers will be able to instantly know and log the status of equipment and create a web of connected devices that react and respond automatically, all from this very affordable and compact device. All you need is a USB port for power, plug Centro-Nano in and connect your device to the DemoPad Cloud. The Nano communicates using numerous common formats and transforms any device it is connected to into a powerful data monitoring source or a controlled element of a large integrated system. Literally the size of a USB stick, the discreet, wireless interface can be plugged into each target device even in the absence of any structured cabling being available. The Nano can be connected locally to a central control platform or connected to the DemoPad Cloud. From this clever device, truly global integration is possible, with advanced analytics, data management, notifications, distributed project management as well as cloud-side logical glue, bringing once-isolated devices into a fully managed and smart device ecosystem. We are very excited about the prospects for this product and what it can bring to our installation partners. Full technical support and is available right across our ranges, so get in touch and find out how our innovative approach to control and automation can help you deliver more bespoke and more affordable systems right across your client groups. DemoPad demopad.com
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DECEMBER 2020 29
ESSENTIAL CEDIA
WILL THEY STAY OR WILL THEY GO? POST-PANDEMIC ELEMENTS BUILT TO LAST Ian Bryant, CEDIA’s senior director of strategic partnerships, Assesses the long term impact of industry alterations caused by the pandemic. You’re likely tired of hearing about how much the global pandemic has changed everything. Understandable, because you’re steeped in and trying to make your livelihood in this altered reality every day. Fortunately, not everything that has changed is necessarily bad and some could be beneficial for business.
INCREASED CONNECTIVITY EXPECTATIONS A fully reliable and robust home network for almost everyone tops the list of major changes that are here to stay. A strong home network has become akin to water, sewer, and electricity services. If anyone goes out, we’re in trouble and our current level of dependency on flawless internet access likely won’t dissipate after the virus does. How am I going to live my life when (for example) my power keeps going off? Well, we’re getting to the point where internet (usage) is very similar. I’m working from home. What am I going to do? I have to be on this conference call in five minutes. That sentiment and need includes all aspects of the home network and has exposed an issue that integrators have been called upon to remedy time and time again: wireless coverage. Those working from home — especially if children are also now learning from home — are discovering that connecting from multiple corners of their living area at once is stretching the limitations of systems designed for less demanding use and fewer simultaneous users. With customers no longer in a position to tolerate interruptions, they’re seeking strong connection strength for everyone everywhere in the home now and into the future. Expectations have changed and integrators are in a position to provide solutions.
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BRINGING ENTERTAINMENT HOME FOR GOOD
Integrators are seeing demand increase for home cinema projects and scaled-up media rooms. Spurred by more time spent at home, customers are getting a taste of how good the entertainment experience could be from home — because they’re stuck there — and I’m hearing professionals say cinema and media room installs are returning to some of the same levels seen before the Great Recession. I expect the uptick to remain even post-pandemic for multiple reasons. One, companies that own and operate movie theatres are closing or in trouble because customers are staying away. Another reason? Movie producers have grown more comfortable with direct-to-consumer delivery methods for first-run films. A trend I couldn’t have predicted pre-COVID 19. They’ve figured out a way to safely social distance people… to still go to sporting events and still go shopping, but the one thing that still hasn’t opened? Movie theatres. Consumers are willing to pay for entertainment if it’s open and available, but as major movie productions continue to be postponed and related corners of the entertainment universe like concerts are still being grounded for safety reasons, the need to deliver fresh content to homes remains. People are going to want to have that system that is comparable to what they might see in an actual cinema.
THE OUTSIDE WORLD, INSIDE
A third emerging category with longevity revolves around hardware. Products and setups to replace or supplement the gym, the scenery during a bike ride, generally make life indoors feel more like it’s outside the home are picking up steam and are expected to stick. These technologies include: • Wearable technology that increases quality of life by protecting users from diseases and other health threats like natural disasters. Wearables could provide users and integrators alike with opportunities for ‘cross-communication’ and connectivity within the home environment.
• Control systems that have ‘finally graduated high school’ to use advanced coding languages and robust security platforms that play more nicely with all forms of home technology, including consumer, off-the-shelf components. In the future, we’ll be able to really configure custom events and automation that we’ve never been able to do before. • Technology that will require high data rates and have an expectation of super low latency. • Home exercise technology… anything from smart mirror systems to weightlifting to bicycle simulators, as more of us are inclined to stay home, these high-tech gadgets will keep us in shape. • Golf simulators, which had shown a market decline in recent years, but have rebounded during lockdowns. • Many jobs will become permanently remote or work-from-home as companies see the business benefits of maintaining a smaller office footprint, leading to an increased need for integrators to focus more expertise on home offices. Across-the-board, research and development has been catapulted forward because of the pandemic, providing a boost for consumer-level and commercial-grade technology that could be here for the long haul. We were already… before the pandemic… in the trajectory of these more immersive technologies in the home and super high internet speeds, but the pandemic has pushed it into a much faster rate to get to this point, because we all know that people will be spending a lot more time in homes. In general, the pandemic has just changed the way people think about spending time in their home and how they experience life in their home and technology is the answer to advance that to make it more enjoyable. CEDIA cedia.net
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INTERACTIVE WEEK SPONSORED BY AN
P U B L I C AT I O N
AWE ROUNDUP
BREAKFAST SHOW Presented by Sean Hannam
SEE INSIDE FOR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CHATS HELD WITH OUR BRANDS DURING EI LIVE INTERACTIVE WEEK WATCH IN FULL AT: connect.awe-europe.com Featuring
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EI LIVE! INTERACTIVE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW
THE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW: EPSON PROJECTORS In this session, host Sean Hannam was joined by Product Manager, Paul Wilson, and Account Manager, Chris Sullivan from the Professional Displays division of Epson alongside James Drummie, AWE’s Home Cinema Product Manager to examine the latest trends having an impact on the market and what makes Epson stand out from the competition. One of the big talking points in the discussion was the pandemic. For Paul and Chris, 2020 had taken out a degree of the usual seasonality from the home cinema and media room business. People are spending more time in their own homes, looking at how they can improve life and the entertainment experience has been a big part of that. Big movie releases have been coming direct to home and live sport can only be enjoyed at home. On top of that, consumers have been able to access a huge amount of content from multiple streaming platforms. With people working from home so much, both Paul and Chris agreed that it’s also important to have the time and the space where you can switch off and relax. The result is that the typically quieter summer season has actually been replaced by a huge spike in home cinema projector sales which has continued until now. Installation flexibility has been one of the main reasons for Epson success. It’s not always just about having a dedicated home cinema room or even a media room. Projectors are being fitted in many more family friendly environments, more multi-functional multi-use spaces, than they were before. The Epson product range has helped installers meet this demand in 2020 and will
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continue to evolve and improve in the future. The EpiqVision range allows installers to bring projection into a customer’s house for the very first time, either as a replacement for a TV or alongside a TV. The EF-11 and EF-12 are portable mini-laser projectors designed for children and family entertainment viewing whereas Epson also offers Ultra Short Throw (UST) ‘Laser TV’ options with the EH-LS300 and EH-LS500 series, allowing customers to have an 80” or 100” size picture without the same mass and respective cost of an ultra large TV screen. These are perfect for where consumers are limited in space, don’t’ want a big TV on the wall, or only want to use the projector from time to time. These UST Laser projectors feature Epson’s 4K Pro-UHD enhancement technology to deliver a great quality image. The TW-7000 Home Cinema Series is the affordable 4K choice, ideal for either dedicated cinema rooms, with models beginning at a very competitive SRP of £1299.99. It offers superior image quality and a display that reaches up to 500”. Then, installers can step up from here to the awardwinning Epson TW-7400, or the dealer only Pro Home Cinema TW-9400 range with all the features expected for a professional
installation, including a wide lens shift range, fully powered optics, ISF calibration and full HDR compatibility. These have been incredibly popular in custom installation. They also include Epson’s 3LCD technology using three individual LCD chips to simultaneously project red, green, and blue light and eliminate the rainbow effect that happens with 1-LCD chip technology as well as high brightness and deep black levels. The TW-9400W is also supplied in white with a wireless HDMI source connection which makes it perfect for living room and media room type set ups. Very few brands can touch the range of lens shift in Epson projectors which helps installers get the picture precisely where they want it to be. When installers need to be flexible in installation, then, Epson has the answers. During lockdown, the brand’s projectors have been installed in swimming pool areas, golf simulators and garden cinemas as well as in traditional home cinemas and media rooms. All AWE accredited Pro Home Cinema dealers receive direct support from Epson and home cinema projector technology training is available in the AWE Smart Home Academy. To find out more, visit connect.awe-europe.com where the AWE Breakfast Show with Epson is available to view free in its entirety. AWE connect.awe-europe.com /aweeurope
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EI LIVE! INTERACTIVE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW
THE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW: LG What are the trends driving TV screens and why is LG the gamer’s choice? Dean Little, Training Manager at LG and Paul Mott, Sales Director at AWE took part in a wide-ranging conversation with Sean Hannam as part of the AWE Breakfast Show Live series. Dean and Paul opened this discussion with a look at some of the highlights in LG range and what makes them so attractive to the custom installer. If the customer’s looking for an entry-level TV for the bedroom or for a premium, living space screen, then, LG has it covered from 32” screen sizes all the way up to the 88” OLED and the NanoCell LED TV. In the NanoCell LED TV range, the key benefit is more accurate colour performance. Dean explains how unwanted colours are removed and how LG’s technology improves colour accuracy even from different viewing angles. These screens are available in a wide range of sizes in both 4K and 8K screen resolutions. Meanwhile, there are exciting times ahead in OLED TVs with 8K models that appeal strongly to gamers and You Tubers. And what makes LG’s OLED screens so special? First of all, because there is no backlight, the screen is ultra-thin. The viewing angle is perfect from wherever the customer sits in the room with an image that offers incredibly deep black levels, vivid, lifelike colours and infinite contrast. With more smaller sizes coming through for the 8K screens, installers have the flexibility to fit these screens, where the available wall space may have been, in the past, a limiting factor. Also, relevant for gamers is the new LG partnership with XBox which draws attention to
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the phenomenal gaming experience consumers will receive from the widely anticipated Xbox Series X console and LG OLED TVs. This will see special events held at participating retail locations to give gamers to experience this exhilaration for themselves on LG’s 2020 OLED TV models and Xbox’s latest console. With features, such as, an ultra-fast 1ms response time with low input lag and support for the latest HDMI specifications including Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and enhanced return audio channel (eARC), games not only look and sound better, they’re more responsive. With four ports ready to support these features, LG’s OLED TVs offer all the advantages of simultaneous connections for multiple gear set-up from consoles to PCs. The advanced combined processing power of the duo will enable players to enjoy 4K gaming at up to 120 frames per second to take advantage of the latest advancement in real-time ray tracing graphics technology. This will also be the first TV and the first game console to support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Moving on from OLED, Dean and Paul also discuss the extensive support provided by LG and AWE to
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integrators who are very much in a consultative sales relationship with their customers. They can help with the planning of screen selection and installation because CAD drawings of all LG screens are held on the LG website, making placement and concealment within a piece of furniture or cabinetry very easy. There’s also the LG Lounge, an online training portal which acts as a One-Stop location for all the information installers need to know about LG.
Watch the full AWE Breakfast Show Live with LG at www.connect.awe-europe.com to hear everything Dean, Paul and Sean have to say and get a sneak preview of what’s ahead from LG, including an update on the rollable OLED screen previewed at CES in 2018. For more information on LG OLED and NanoCell screens available, visit www.awe-europe.com. AWE connect.awe-europe.com /aweeurope
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DECEMBER 2020 33
EI LIVE! INTERACTIVE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW
THE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW: RING X LINE Todd Terry, National Account Manager for Ring Installed Solutions and Stuart Tickle, Managing Director of AWE Europe talked home security and Ring X Line for the professional integrator with Sean Hannam. The start point for this conversation was the news, first revealed in the Summer of 2020, that AWE is the UK Residential Integration market channel partner for Ring X Line, the exciting, new home security product range. X Line gives technology integrators an enhanced offering compared to the standard Ring product range available throughout retail and online. It’s available from AWE in six product bundles, specifically designed for professional integrators and their customers. Each X Line bundle is built around a Ring Video Doorbell or Security Cam and includes a Ring Protect Basic subscription for the lifetime of the device, along with a four-year limited warranty. With the ability to add more complementary devices including the Ring Alarm Security System, integrators can create a comprehensive home security system for their customers. There’s great flexibility for installers within these bundles too. For example, X Line offers a choice of three different Ring Video Doorbells, a wireless, battery option for those places where you just can’t run a cable, a Pro X version for low voltage 16-24V installation and a POE Elite doorbell that can be wired directly into the network. Easy integration with smart TV, lighting and whole home control systems is also an important attraction. X Line has recently announced a partnership with Lutron and Savant now natively integrates X Line into its platform. Watch out for more exciting developments on third party integration partners soon. And what about the market opportunity for home security? Todd and Stuart both described how this area is changing to give home integrators the potential to grow business, expanding by around 60% in 2019 and growing more in 2020. For any integrator that’s crossing a threshold and doing an installation in in a customer’s home that involves electronic equipment, then Ring X Line is a viable home security solution. Technology integrators may have been concerned in the past that they’re not certified for the kind of police-registered,
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type alarm systems fitted by professional security contractors. But, the vast majority of people simply want the functionality that allows them to selfmonitor. They just want to know their family is safe, their property is safe and to see who is at the door when the doorbell rings. X Line is that perfect blend of high functionality, at an affordable price to deliver that peace of mind. To have a professional carry out the installation ensures that the system is seamlessly connected, and that the customer’s home and their family is safer. It’s exclusively for integrators, with extra benefits over DIY home security products, and also has brand awareness marketing of the consumer range behind it to help drive increased sales. Ultimately, the home security market is still in its infancy. It has amazing potential and offers a great opportunity for technology integrators Watch the full AWE Breakfast Show Live with Ring X Line at www.connect.awe-europe. com for more insights on how home security can work for integration businesses. Also, find out what it takes to get ready to install X Line with the online certification programme and introductory training managed by AWE. For more information on the X Line product bundles available, visit www.awe-europe.com. AWE connect.awe-europe.com /aweeurope
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EI LIVE! INTERACTIVE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW
THE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW: SONY PROJECTORS Sean Hannam was joined by Chris Mullins, Home Cinema Product Manager and Adam Dover, Home Cinema Account Manager at Sony Professional Solutions Europe along with James Drummie, Home Cinema Product Manager at AWE to look at the latest Sony projector launches and how they elevate the home cinema experience to another level. Sony has always been at the forefront of innovation in the 4K home projector market. This discussion gave integrators a valuable insight into the latest native 4K projectors in the company’s extensive range now available from AWE, and the technology that’s integral to their premium performance.
Chris, Adam and James talked about the brand new VPL-VW590ES, VPL-VW790ES, and the flagship model, VPL-GTZ380 which deliver a fantastic, immersive viewing experience in the home. These native 4K (4096 x 2160) home cinema projectors with SXRD panels offer processing power alongside impressive brightness and HDR performance to deliver the creator’s true intent. A big focus of the conversation was Sony’s flagship 4K SXRD laser projector VPL-GTZ380 and how it delivers the ultimate HDR visual experience in high-end home cinemas and living rooms. If you tune into this Breakfast Show then you’ll get the lowdown on the technology packed into this 10,000 lumens projector. The result is powerhouse image expression, outstanding picture quality and HDR performance with high contrast, brightness, and a wide colour gamut of 100% DCI-P3 in a comparatively compact body size (weighing 51kg). At the heart of this
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ground-breaking projector is a newly developed 0.74″ native 4K SXRD panel with improved light stability and a new laser light source using a red laser diode in addition to the two differentwavelength blue laser diodes. Chris, Adam and James also explain how the new lamp-based VPL-VW590ES and the laserbased VPL-VW790ES provide a step change over their predecessors with an incredibly clear HDR experience by implementing new picture processor X1™ for projector, based on technology used for Sony’s best-in-class TVs. Find out how this technology helps bring the best contrast performance when viewing HDR content, making the bright scenes brighter and the dark scenes darker. The session also explored the role of the Digital Focus Optimizer in improving focus levels, and Sony’s Unique Super Resolution “Reality Creation” Technology
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which analyses each scene to enrich 4K content and real-world detail and texture. Chris, Adam and James also update us on other top-selling projectors in the Sony range, including the What Hi-Fi multi-award winning VW-270 and tell us about the Sony Lens to Living Room philosophy which adds unbeatable expertise to the Sony projector range. Watch the full AWE Breakfast Show Live with Sony at www.connect.awe-europe.com for the inside story on these fantastic native 4K projectors. For more information on the range itself and to arrange a COVID secure demonstration, contact AWE. AWE connect.awe-europe.com /aweeurope
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DECEMBER 2020 35
EI LIVE! INTERACTIVE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW
THE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW: SONY TVs For this Breakfast Show, Nick Roos, Head of Training and Brand Activation and Ken Robinson, Area Business Manager - Sony CE Specialists took part in a fascinating conversation with Tilak Rana of AWE and Sean Hannam to find out how and why Sony TVs appeal to installers. Great picture quality together with all the services, all the apps and all the sizes (from 43” up to 85”) that installers need on one common Android TV platform. That was the message that came over loud and clear when Sony talked TVs during their AWE Breakfast Show session. From 43” to 85” screens, and anything inbetween, Sony offer a comprehensive range of Full Array LED 4K and 8K screens together with Bravia OLED 4K screens through AWE for custom installation. Whatever type of TV installers are looking for on a project, then, Sony has a model available and they all run the same software, from entry level right through to the flagship ZH8 screen, making integration very straightforward. What else is important about Sony screens? Nick and Ken talk in detail about picture quality, contrast, picture processing, pixel level control, viewing angles, audio performance, and resolution. Of course, not everyone is looking at 4K or 8K content, so the capability to upscale efficiently from standard, high definition and streaming content is a major attraction of Sony. Here, Sony is in the unique position that the brand is not simply selling TVs. From lens to living room, Sony does everything from content creation, hardware acquisition, editing, distribution all the way through to the screen that consumers are watching the content on. All of that knowledge is then baked into the upscaling process. So, whenever a Sony TV gets an input signal from any source, it looks at the individual content on the screen, analyses the different elements and then applies the right level of upscaling from a detail and colour point of view to create an attractive, realisticlooking image.
The discussion also looks at the Android TV smart platform, and its advantages over a proprietary system. Currently, over 5,000 apps are available on the platform and this will soon extend up to 10,000 apps, way more than any proprietary platform can offer, with Chromecast and Airplay already built-in. Another relevant area that’s covered in the session is the ease of third-party integration and control such that, with Sony, it’s easy for consumers to get their content onto the screen
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and control their viewing experience. Watch the AWE Breakfast Show Live with Sony at www.connect.awe-europe.com to get the full story on Sony TVs. For more information on Sony Full Array LED and Bravia OLED screens Full Array und United brands from AWE, visit www.awe-europe.com and to book training go to www.smarthomeacademy.co.uk. AWE connect.awe-europe.com /aweeurope
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EI LIVE! INTERACTIVE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW
THE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW: SOUND UNITED Sean Hannam was joined by Oliver Kriete, Product Manager Europe and Roger Batchelor, Product Manager UK from Sound United, the parent company of Definitive Technology, Denon, HEOS and Marantz and James Drummie, Home Cinema Product Manager at AWE to talk about what these brands offer installers. Sound United is a company that always has the custom installation sector in mind. Take receivers from Denon and Marantz as an example. The key is always to produce the best sounding receivers. Quality performance is always a focus and the feature set within these products is pitched at a very high level. Sound United cares about the latest technologies and compatibilities, and how they can be brought into new products to maintain a premium installation as well as premium user experience. If the receiver is sitting somewhere in a rack, on a shelf or in a cupboard, often you can’t see it, so for Denon and Marantz it’s all about giving installers the tools they need. That means a wide portfolio of reliable and regularly updated products; the right range of control interfaces, including IP (the Command Line Interface protocol), RS232, Remote Bus, APP, triggers and a system for remote management; plus, valuable extras, such as, HDMI diagnostic and information screens and more. Oliver and Roger also talk about the passion, experience and technical knowhow that goes into the receiver ranges from both brands.
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Oliver and Roger talk in detail about the common HEOS platform for Sound United brands. This is used as an interface to the internet, to the network, to music streaming, to firmware updates, to control and to connected amplifiers, AV receivers, Denon systems, soundbars and the HEOS wireless music system up to 32 zones. The HEOS range also includes the HEOS Drive, a 4 channel multi-room amplifier for custom installation applications. Another Sound United brand covered in this session was Definitive Technology and its range of custom installation speakers, exclusively available from AWE. In this session, we also found out about the immersive audio formats,
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the challenges of HDMI and the reasons there are so many logos on the front of Denon and Marantz AV receivers. Watch the AWE Breakfast Show Live with Sound United at www.connect.awe-europe.com to hear everything that Oliver, Roger, James and Sean discussed. For more information on Sound United brands from AWE, visit www. awe-europe.com and to book training go to www.smarthomeacademy.co.uk. AWE connect.awe-europe.com /aweeurope
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DECEMBER 2020 37
EI LIVE! INTERACTIVE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW
THE AWE BREAKFAST SHOW: URC Self-confessed control freak, Sean Hannam, hosted an informative conversation with Cees van Wendel de Joode, International sales at URC and Mal Fisher, CTO at AWE to talk all things control and look at what’s in store in the months ahead from URC. For UK integrators, URC provides three different product lines – Complete Control, MX Home Pro and Total Control 2.0, the company’s flagship control system which gives integrators more opportunity to customise and personalise control to meet the needs of the user. In the session, Cees and Mal talked about the features and benefits of each system and where they appeal to installers working on different types of project. They also previewed several exciting new URC developments that will be available in the weeks ahead. In a discussion that explored the reasons why High Resolution Audio Is a relatively understated part of the conversation between integrators and consumers, Mal and Cees talked in detail about the new line of multi-zone URC High Definition Audio (HDA) products that will be introduced to the market in the coming weeks. This part of the Breakfast Show is well worth a watch! Another new development that Mal and Cees discussed is an upgrade to the Total Control programming software called Accelerator 3. This promises an even faster, more intuitive and easier to use system set up and configuration. Again, check out the full webinar for insights into Accelerator 3 and how it will make the installer’s life easier. Also, coming soon will be a new entry level processor, the MRX-5, which will not only reduce the price of an professional control solution but will also be very scalable if a system needs to expand at a later date. That future flexibility combined with the new lower entry point will be a very important benefit for installers. Mal and Cees also spoke about the role of off-the-shelf control products in helping to build consumer awareness for the importance of what control systems can do. According to Mal, they set people on an automatic upgrade path, once consumers realise the limitations of DIY control solutions.
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As far as training support goes, there was an update on how dealers can access what they need in order to get fully up to speed with URC. AWE offers regular hourly sessions that serve as informal introduction sessions to the brand. These help identify the best training path available, depending on whether installers are new to the industry or more experienced. Also, Mal talked about the dealer portal for registered URC dealers which offers a mixture of training courses at different levels and depths to suit any installer’s requirements. Find out more about the URC innovations
on the horizon and the opportunities for integrators to grow their control system business in a post-COVID market by tuning in to the AWE Breakfast Show Live with URC at www.connect.awe-europe.com. For more information on AWE and URC, visit www.aweeurope.com and to book training go to www. smarthomeacademy.co.uk. AWE connect.awe-europe.com /aweeurope
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ALL-IN-ONE MULTI-ROOM
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ACOUSTIC TREATMENT
BESTING THE BASS! Dealing with bass energy is just as important as managing mid and high frequency reflection argues Peter Aylett, partner at acoustic treatment specialists HTE and CEDIA Instructor. In his reference book on small room acoustics (Sound Reproduction by Floyd E. Toole), Dr Toole refers to ‘The acoustic treatments of life’. Here he refers to the stuff that most of us have in a normally furnished room. Carpet, sofa, beanbag, shelf of books, aspidistra sat in the corner are all things that have, to varying degrees, acoustic absorptive and diffusive effects. Many normally furnished rooms measure and perform excellently from an acoustics point of view with one big caveat. Bass. A number that is often spoken about is the RT60 time of the room. This is the time it takes for sound energy to decay by 60db, and is easily measured using simple software and
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a microphone such as Mini DSP’s excellent UMIK-1. The question, however, to always then ask is ‘at what frequency?’. RT60 is usually stated at either a single 500Hz or 1KHz and whilst a useful measure of the room at mid range frequencies does not present the full story of either bass or high frequencies. Ideally RT60 should be stated at full octaves from 62Hz up to 8KHz. Let’s leave high frequencies to another time and discuss bass. Within Room EQ Wizard (free to download room acoustics analysis software) there is a basic but fundamentally excellent room simulation tool that can help model the low frequency modal response of a room to help you position both seats and subwoofers to get as flat and even as possible bass response across all seating positions. If you have used this tool, you’ll have noticed what a profound effect changing the Surface Absorptions values
has on the peaks and troughs of the predicted frequency response of the room. The value entered assumes that the coefficient (0 being total reflection, and 1 being total absorption) is the same across all frequencies. Good luck with that! Absorbing mid and high frequencies is easy. The acoustic treatments of life and simple absorbers do that. Absorbing bass is far harder and the trick is to do it in a way that then doesn’t over absorb the mid and high frequencies. Have you ever walked into an ‘acoustically treated’ room and felt like you have instantly contracted a head cold that has blocked your ears and sinuses? That’s what happens when mid and high frequencies are over absorbed (so easy to do if you just cover the whole room in 20mm foam. Please don’t ever do that…) but bass energy is barely touched.
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THE POWER AND SIMPLICITY OF SAVANT By combining intuitive user interfaces with beautiful hardware, the Savant home automation platform is considered amongst the most technologically advanced in the industry. With a wide range of options covering every facet of the automated home, Savant integrators have been powering luxury homes all over the world. With the recent introduction of our soundbars with on-board hosts, becoming a Savant integrator has never been simpler. Contact RGB Communications today to find out more.
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Savant’s revolutionary and award-winning Smart Audio Soundbar 55 and matching wireless speakers lets you experience best in class capabilities including a wide soundstage, amazing dynamics, ultra-clear dialogue, a built-in music stream plus all of the technology to control your home.
The IP Audio 1 is a Host with a high powered, single zone amplifier that streams Savant Music 2.0 as well as having built-in control ports for local equipment. It is a great way to add an additional zone of high quality audio to any Savant IP Audio project.
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ACOUSTIC TREATMENT
When bass is produced by a speaker, some of it is heard direct from the speaker (or sub) but most of it reflects off room surfaces and just keeps bouncing around until its energy is dissipated somehow. If the energy is not dissipated quickly, bass will sound slow and boomy with little impact. Many a subwoofer has been dismissed as ‘poor’ when in fact the sub is excellent, but it had been positioned incorrectly in a poorly treated room. Below around 200Hz (lower in larger rooms, higher in smaller ones) so long as the speakers are fundamentally good, driven correctly and with correct EQ applied, the quality of bass has much more to do with the room itself than the audio equipment. There are a few different strategies to tackle bass absorption (sometimes called bass traps). •
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Just using plasterboard (Drywall, Gypsum) wall construction will help. If designed and built correctly the walls will have a little give to them when pushed. This will help to absorb bass energy but the amount is extremely unpredictable and almost impossible to model in advance. Use thick foam absorbers in the corners of rooms. Corners are usually considered a good place for these as that’s where bass tends to concentrate in a room (though that explanation is drastically over
simplified. Give me two days and we can discuss the full story..). These will have an effect, but because the area of the absorbers is small compared to the total surface area of the room, they will have a measurable but limited effect. This type of absorber will also absorb mid and high frequencies so care needs to be taken. •
A diaphragmatic absorber will be either pre-tuned or tuneable on site to be most efficient at a certain frequency. If you have a room mode problem at let’s say 67Hz, then a diaphragmatic absorber tuned to this frequency will be very efficient across its surface area but again, they are small compared to the whole room area.
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Similar to a diaphragmatic absorber, a Helmholtz Resonator is tuned to work at a certain frequency. These are often tall cylinders placed in room corners. If you’re really clever, a riser can be built to act as an efficient Helmholtz resonator.
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A technique exists that effectively turns an entire wall into a bass absorber. This leverages the air gap that sits between the panels, that cover an entire wall, and the wall behind. This type of construction is fantastic for delivering broadband bass absorption whilst controlling mid and high
frequencies effectively to still keep the room feeling fresh and human centric. This construction is extremely predictable as it covers the entire wall, actual wall construction becomes less of an issue as the sound energy ‘sees’ the acoustic panels rather than the wall behind. This construction also becomes the interior design of the room and greatly simplifies the interface between interior design, and audio performance. Whatever technique you use, ensure that when thinking about absorption and RT60 times that you consider low bass to be just as important as frequencies above 150Hz. The dividends paid will be bass that sounds fast, tight and even across all seating positions. Acoustic treatment must satisfy aesthetic design, construction and performance requirements. The key is to discuss acoustics really early with the customer, interior designer and architect. Considered as part of the overall design it is easy to integrate. Leave it until the end and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to effectively treat the room to deliver the best results. Consider the totality of the experience. Plenty of advice is available from acoustic treatment manufacturers. When someone next tells you the RT60 time of a room, ask them ‘At what frequency?’…
Room EQ Wizard can be downloaded for free at - https://www.roomeqwizard.com
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DECEMBER 2020 43
ACOUSTIC TREATMENT
SOUND ADVICE Acoustic treatments for the ultimate home cinema experience. Ben Hancock, managing director, Oscar Acoustics, Specialists in acoustic treatment manufacturing. Whether it’s Bond, Borat or Bambi gracing the home cinema screen, you’ll want the best possible viewing experience. For superlative sound quality, it’s worth improving the acoustics with specialist treatments. Soundtracks can be radically enhanced, bass level reverberations reduced, high pitched ‘ring’ dampened, and the ambience for the audience noticeably enriched. Perhaps even more importantly, it’s possible to install products such as an isolated soundproof ceiling system or thermal insulation to help mitigate decibel levels. These are ideal for those who like to whack the volume up, but also have the sanity of other family members to consider. Like it or not, our homes have become our entertainment hubs this year. For many people,
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investing in a top-quality AV experience is a greater priority. Why compromise on acoustic quality, when the enjoyment of movies, gaming and music at home, can be so easily enhanced?
REVERBERATION CONTROL
People who invest in residential high-end media may not have considered the invisible acoustic improvements that can be made without disrupting the overall interior design of their property. Removing hard surfaces helps prevent reverberation, and can be done cheaply with carpets, wall hangings, cushions and soft furniture. But for those who love the clean, modern aesthetic smooth surfacing brings, treatments like fire-rated acoustic spray or acoustic plaster can provide a solution without design compromise. Flat, or deliberately coarsely textured acoustic spray products for interior ceilings are available which can be spray-applied at speed. If you choose a through-coloured option, there
will be no need for decoration, and this will also minimise the need for repair over time. Another choice for ceilings in a home cinema or media room is an acoustic plaster that appears as conventional plaster. This can be sprayed and trowelled on, and will absorb sound energy instead of reflecting it. This has the effect of reducing reverberation times and overall noise levels within the space, giving real clarity to speech and music.
GOOD AMBIENCE AND PERSONAL COMFORT
Acoustic sprays and plasters are typically used in open plan offices, auditoria, sports halls, hotels and restaurants for noise reduction and reverberation control. They create a calm ambience, ensuring people using the space do not have to endure poor sound quality. Specifiers, interior designers and installers love these products, because they are highperforming yet invisible, and certainly don’t detract from the overall look of the space.
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ACOUSTIC TREATMENT
isolating acoustic hangers achieves better than There are environmental benefits too. For example, at Oscar Acoustics our chosen range is made of recycled, natural plant-based fibres and specialist water-based adhesives. In fact, the SonaSpray range contributes towards many sustainable design and health certification systems including BREEAM, SKA, and Living Building Challenge, and adding up to 17 points towards the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating of a project. It’s worth mentioning that all these products are fire-safety rated. My advice to anyone looking into a residential acoustic improvement project like this is: Always insist on seeing a copy of the fire test report before committing to an acoustic spray or plaster product.
SOUNDPROOFING PERFORMANCE TO SHOUT ABOUT
How do you prevent sound escaping beyond your home cinema? For windows, double or triple glazing is best. Doors need to be as heavy as possible and airtight. Remember that a double-door assembly will always outperform a single door.
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Wall panels for soundproofing can be unsightly and a common misconception is that putting foam or acoustic panels on the walls and ceiling will somehow stop sound from going into the room next door or above. Another option for professional AV installers is thermal sound insulation, which works particularly well in ceiling and wall voids. This can either be sprayed into the cavity before the void is closed, or where a void is already closed blown by a hose through holes to improve the acoustic insulation of walls and ceilings. Again, the good news is that most thermal cavity fill insulation products on the market today comply with fire safety regulation and are often made from environmentally friendly materials. We use a fire rated insulation product which provides a barrier as it resists penetration by fire. Such products can be used as a cavity filler in walls or between floors either in conventional rigid construction or with isolated systems. In the second instance, acoustic hangers, which clip and seal the ceiling installation, are essential to achieve the ultimate soundproofing performance. The Oscar Iso-Mount range of
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compliance with British building regulations Document E, for airborne and impact sound. Whether a rigid ceiling system or isolated, the end result is a soundproof ceiling which appears no different to a standard plastered ceiling once completed.
ADD VALUE WITH QUALITY ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE The improvements I’ve discussed appeal to home owners and AV installers because they can be implemented without disrupting the room above, or compromising the design style of the home cinema or media room itself. Once completed, customers will appreciate the improvement to acoustic quality and sound isolation. What’s more, with working from home now an accepted part of life, having a soundproofed section of the house could significantly add practical benefits - and monetary value - to property in the long term.
DECEMBER 2020 47
SMART THINKING
When practically all the major phones and tablets already support Wi-Fi 6, why would you design for anything less?
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OK, BOOMER? Generation Z may be ‘digital natives’, but baby boomers have the money. Pete Baker, head of The Big Corp, global, full service sales rep, marketing, training, business development firm and EI regular contributor, outlines how to sell modern technologies to an audience that, at times, fear it. I have been in the consumer electronics industry and involved with residential technologies for more than 30 years, with several decades invested as an integrator meeting with hundreds of end users. Despite this, sometimes I struggle with some new devices and technologies that I am unfamiliar with or rarely use: apps or unique settings on my smart phone, or the latest social media platforms that I use infrequently – if at all – like Snapchat, YouTube and Vimeo. When I get stuck, I reach out to my kids and they zip through it while offering some ‘sweet’ (read: ‘condescending’) commentary along the way, like “geez dad, it’s so easy…”. When I was an installer, I would always make sure my clients’ kids were present during the demo and handover stages. Kids are sponges and especially adept at technology, having grown up with it. When I was a kid, we played with rocks, sticks and footballs; now kids occupy most of their free time with technology (somewhat sadly). Baby boomers and older consumers, however, often struggle with technology and can be intimated with the thought of adding technology into their home, especially unfamiliar or new technologies they’ve never before experienced.
So, as integrators, how can you best introduce and discuss new technologies with customers in this market segment? I would suggest the following:
Don’t be condescending Don’t sound like my kids... I had clients who were doctors, lawyers and other professionals who would routinely start by saying, “I don’t know anything about technology.” I would reply, “Well, I don’t know anything about medicine or law, but I know a lot about technology. Please don’t worry, because my job is to educate you on the technology options that you may want to consider for your home. You can rest assured that no matter what you decide to incorporate into your home, I promise that it will be easy for any member of your family to access and control the technology. The goal of adding technology into your home is to improve your lifestyle, not complicate it.” Be very aware of any concerns or reservations your client has about incorporating technology into their home. Create an open dialogue about the benefits of technology: lighting scenes, shading controls, remote access to climate, surveillance and environmental controls, and the magic of having multiple commands executed from the touch of one button of a control system user interface, etc...
Be credible You must establish credibility with your prospective client and instill confidence that you are an expert in the technology you are specifying.
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SMART THINKING I would often talk about the trade shows that I attended (CES, CEDIA, ISE…) to remain current on new technology and trends. Additionally, I would highlight ongoing education that I had completed to become proficient with different disciplines related to my field: CEDIA education, manufacturer product training, courses by the state board of electricity, etc. I would also showcase testimonials from satisfied customers on my website and in my showroom, as discussed in articles I have written previously.
Try before they buy
Allow your client to experience the user interface of the control system or platform you are proposing to sell them. This can be performed several different ways. If you have a showroom with a live demo system, show them the UI and allow them to select different sources and operate the lights, shades, access cameras, etc. If you don’t have a showroom, use a demo app or, better, help them to install the demo app on their smart phone or tablet device so they can show other members of the family who could not attend the meeting. Many control platforms also offer quick, 30-second videos showing how the user interface works. One Firefly is a great example of a company that produces these videos for many control brands. You can add these to your website for easy consumer access and demonstration purposes. You can also visit my website at www.thebigcorp.com if you would like to see some examples of these videos.
Be the best at being humble
Be humble, patient and listen. I have worked with dozens of salespeople in the technology industry in the course of my career. More importantly I have spoken with hundreds, if not thousands, of consumers all over the world about the bad experiences that have had discussing their needs with a technology professional. The most common complaint I receive is that the salesperson didn’t listen to them and they seemed arrogant.
Remember, God gave us two ears and one mouth, so use them proportionally. I have won many clients over the years by simply listening to their needs and concerns when my competitors did not. It’s also important to be humble and respectful to the fact that they may be intimidated by technology, but an expert in some other field. I always tried to address this immediately and set the stage for open dialogue, learning about their interests and any questions or concerns they may have about technology, for example, “do you have any questions or concerns about technology? Tell me a little about your lifestyle, do you like to listen to music, watch TV, entertain? What would you like to accomplish by adding technology into your home?”
Make suggestions Don’t be shy about offering suggestions. After all, you are the expert. I would always try to offer very creative suggestions that the home owner may find interesting, some examples might be: wellness and circadian lighting, hi-res audio, motorised TV mounts, in-ground landscape speakers, remote access to garage doors (which I use very often to let UPS drop off packages, or to open the door when I arrive home on my motorcycle). I often found that some of my suggestions were the tipping point for the consumer to choose my company over a competitor. Many baby boomers may claim they are not interested in this smart home ‘stuff’ because it is too complicated. Be prepared to respond to this by first acknowledging the concern and then educating them about the benefits of the technology. Once educated, baby boomers can become great adopters and customers of yours.
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DECEMBER 2020 49
KRAMER ADVERTORIAL
REGAIN CONTROL Kramer has had its head in the clouds reimagining a flexible, scalable and user-friendly control architecture where the sky’s the limit. Tim Dieffenbaugher, Product Manager for Kramer Control explains more. Gone are the days of needing centralised and isolated processor boxes and customised code. Kramer Control broke the mould in 2016 by being the first fully cloud-based control architecture. Since then, we have defined a new era of AV control that leverages the latest in cloud and software technologies to move all setup logic to the cloud. This creates a borderless experience where you can set up your control system from anywhere in the world, without the need to be physically onsite. This cuts installation costs, travel and maintenance requirements, increasing the agility and scalability of organisations. It also removes the risks associated with having a single point of failure, as Kramer’s nonhierarchical, distributed architecture of standalone control processors (Brains), ensures that system operations will remain up and running in case of a failure in any unit.
Code-free programming The platform has been built from the ground up and is truly hardware and browser agnostic. With everything stored in the cloud, the days of tedious updates and device software upgrades are over. All Kramer components are automatically and seamlessly updated from the cloud, so you’re always getting the benefits of the latest version; features and drivers. This means you can work from any device through a safe and secure login procedure.
Kramer Control features end to end encryption and HTTPS ensures secure communication. You don’t need any previous coding experience to start setting up your control. The completely code-free programme and control interface has intuitive drag and drop functionality that allows anyone to start creating what would once have been incredibly complex configurations, quickly and effectively.
Easy, secure and remote Kramer Control can literally be used anywhere, proved by the incredibly diverse client base which ranges from universities and large corporate organisations to military applications and within professional movie studios. It’s even used by fishing vessels, where they can access information and control all their AV devices and gauges from the bridge. Specifically, for residential installations, Kramer Control comes into its own in larger spaces with a wide variety of devices to control, both internally, externally and within home cinema set ups. It can be used dynamically to customise the experience for the user, setting preferences within a room to customise the environment. For digital signage, Kramer Control adds a layer of interactivity, letting customers customise their experience by only hearing the audio through devices they want to purchase, for example. This is a great way of bringing personalisation to larger retail spaces,
increasing engagement with buyers and making the space a must visit destination.
Smarter facilities Analytics data is automatically gathered for comprehensive insight, effective decision making and ROI management. From the Kramer Control dashboard you can easily see a 360-degree view of your business and get statistics including room usage, how often systems are being turned on or off and the live data flow of commands, which speeds up troubleshooting and problem solving. You can also assess the state of all devices, including volume, battery power and the current input setting, then control this remotely. This can be done for just one space or across the whole site. This ability to efficiently deploy control in any environment creates smarter spaces that are scalable by design. Preconfigured dashboards streamline this process even further and, in the future, you will be able to turn on notifications to be instantly alerted should a device fail.
Kramer Control Brains Our distributed architecture has a flat topology in which all Brains are hierarchically equal. This means data is communicated between Brains automatically, eliminating the need to program a dedicated path. Devices are connected and controlled by universal I/O ports that communicate with the cloud segment. On site, this can be controlled by Kramer BRAINware, an ethernet based controller software accessed from a newly launched 10” interactive panel. This replaces the physical Brain and allows you to execute all your room control actions straight from the touch panel, with scalable variants for five, 25 or 50 standard spaces. With the complexities associated with AV control setup removed, you can now take back control and have any space configured the way you need it, by yourself, in minutes.
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THIS MONTH’S ESSENTIAL SUPPLEMENT
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ESSENTIAL HVAC
TRUE INTEGRATION
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Once we know what the control platforms will be, the appropriate interfaces and protocols can be defined and we are on our way to building a completed integrated solution for any whole home automation project. For us it’s that very first conversation that starts the HVAC journey. I ask is there an automation system? Yes, great, so who is the clients preferred specialist? What system are they proposing? Once we know what system is going to be used, we work back from that and define the limits of the interface and express this in the outline scope of the HVAC and control system thereafter. In this way we build each part of the system as the project progresses from a position of strength, not just blindly following a path where at least some of the basics will be the same whatever system is going to be the control partner, at each level the HVAC integration is as native as it can be and will merge with the rest of the home. We are always available to discuss your integration needs from the top down. Right from the start of any project we can clearly explain the potential limitations, what can be achieved and the options presented by the control platform being used. As fully qualified North Gold Partners, we can assist with all North commander supply, commissioning and servicing. Start your conversation with us early in each project to ensure the HVAC integration is the best it can be.
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Integration: What does this actually mean for a HVAC system? What is an open protocol? a term often bantered around with BACnet being one of the buzz words? And how do we integrate the HVAC world easily and without unnecessary fuss? Put simply for our team integration means taking separate systems, and bringing them together into one common platform in preparation for presentation within whatever the GUI integration set up is going to be on your project. A successful HVAC integration should not feel like a bulky or alien add-on to the rest of the system, it should flow within the control set up just as efficiently as any other part of the home such as security or entertainment systems. That is what we are striving for with each project we are asked to work on. Fortunately, due to the efforts of companies like ours and advancements in the hardware, software and a growing realisation amongst HVAC manufacturers that integration with the rest of a smart home is a priority, things have advanced considerably in the last decade or so. To deliver reliable and agile results, we use the North Commander as the backbone of the system we provide. The great thing about this
platform is that is has well written drivers for all home automation systems such as Crestron Home, ‘FULL’ Crestron, Control4, Savant, Lutron, as well as the popular Polar Bear Design’s now award winning thermostat the Zentium. The system can also work natively with HVAC systems such as the AE200 Mitsubishi, Daikin ITM and Heatmiser Neo Gen 2 specifically with emphasis on the HC range of controllers. The North Commander can access values within thousands of different third-party systems using North’s large library of drivers, allowing the Commander to pass data between systems such as chillers, security, lighting, CCTV, fire alarms and make these values available to BACnet and Modbus. This technology enables different subsystems within a building to be fused together to form a single, coherent system. For us, the user interface has to be the primary point to derive a level of control the customer will be satisfied with, especially when compared to the type of control they will be enjoying for the rest of their system. If we were to press on and follow a specification written for no integration with an automation platform, the client would not have a cohesive system. A system without integration would still of course be specification compliant, but the customer is left with unwanted wall acne often with separate wall controllers, next to a touch panel with all the HVAC features either unconfigured or worse still not included at all. In a modern system, this should never be the case for all sorts of aesthetic and control reasons, but the main reason is that now its simply avoidable.
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John Corbin of HVAC integration specialist Intelligent Controls, provides a snap shot of the current market and assesses what we really mean by ‘integration’.
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DECEMBER 2020 53
ESSENTIAL HVAC
GOOD LOOKS AND INTELLIGENCE
The Zentium is intelligent, but good looking as well
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be made more for the engineer rather than the end user. A good example of this is the HVAC interface that offers the end user a confusing array of controls they simply don’t need. Our approach is to simplify and strip away everything that the user does not need, hiding advanced control away for just the engineer to access. With the Zentium, the user also gets feedback via attractive coloured numbers on the wideangle viewing display as the intuitive control dial is turned, we call it the Digital Crown. As the crown is turned, a warm orange indicates the temperature is going up and a cool blue is used if it is coming down. Once the action is completed, the crown glows either blue or orange and the screen displays an orange flame or blue snowflake symbol to confirm the direction the temperature is going in. The Zentium looks and feels like it wants to be touched, and that makes it more part of someone’s home. Designers can relate to that, it’s what they trained to recognise and will make installers able to be part of the conversation earlier because they are offering something that perhaps they didn’t before, how to make the project more attractive to the eyes of the customer and the designer too. Yes, HVAC integration is about ease of use and control, but it does not have to stop there, it can also be part of the aesthetic conversation and a really cool one too.
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Creating a bridge between building automation systems and HVAC has always been a specialist task. Perhaps out of all the disparate systems that installers need to make into a whole to deliver the true smart home experience, environmental control is the most challenging. Most HVAC systems were never designed to talk to modern home automation platforms no matter what your company of choice. The industry needs specialist companies and products to bridge the gap and get everything working in harmony. Products like our own Zentium Thermostat have taken long hours of design, testing and out in the field experience to deliver the reliable control that installers and customers are looking for. We have worked very hard at this and have been recognised in recent times reaching the final of the CEDIA Awards on both sides of the Atlantic in the Best New Hardware Category with the Zentium and we were delighted to be named as winner in the Americas section. This recognition we believe is in no small part due to the technical excellence and reliability we have worked so hard to achieve. However, the other aspect that HVAC integration products must embrace and perhaps have struggled with in the past, is ease of use and aesthetics. For a long time the custom install community has sought to make itself more attractive to the design community, encouraging interior designers and other professionals to see their side of the equation and that control and AV is important to the client, so it should be important to them too. However, rather than trying to swim up-stream and convince other trades to include a product which although technically excellent, jars with their vision for the project, we decided to create a product they would want to include from a design point of view. Yes, it needs to be rock
solid on the reliability front, what really excites designers about our approach is the aesthetics and ergonomics. The Zentium Thermostat has been designed to be a joy to touch and look at, a direction that more and more ‘workaday’ interfaces and products are going to need to go in if they want to find wider appeal and build relationships in the design sphere. Our vision was to create an intelligent product, but with the good looks of a brand like Meljac with its luxury lighting switches. We actively wanted our thermostat on show and not hidden away or with the interface buried on a smart device. The end user wants instant, simple controls, that they understand. Just because you can control the lights or HVAC from an app doesn’t mean you should take away a physical switch from a room. With our approach you get the best of both worlds, you get intelligent control via an intuitive, intelligent and attractive in-room, on wall control. This approach has perhaps been slower to occur in the HVAC integration sector as in other parts of the installation market. This in part is to do with some of the products/control points being hidden from view in service/utility areas, but has also been a cultural phenomenon where HVAC control points, even if they are to be on view, tended not to emphasise good looks and also tended to
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Justin Wells, Director at Polar Bear Design, underlines the importance of beauty as well as brains when it comes to HVAC integration in the smart home market.
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Advanced Load Scaling
Smart Weather
The smart zoning system for boilers, radiators and underfloor heating now includes: • Heat pump compatibility – the ideal choice for heating systems, now and in the future. • Heat and cool temperature control – individual zone comfort, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. • Advanced load scaling – learns the zone temperature capacity and runs the boiler at a lower rate, improving energy efficiency. • Smart weather – reduce unnecessary heating, based on outside temperature, room temperature and setpoint. evohome – the only smart zoning system you’ll need. Contact your Sensible Heat specialist partner for more information.
TS-1070R tabletop touch screen running Crestron Home software and Delos Darwin “Extension”
perpetual innovation Crestron Home™ improvements keep coming. Seven major releases in the first year alone. Now, with Crestron Home Extensions, you can control virtually any device. Smart appliances. Irrigation systems. Power controllers. Weather stations. And more. All with the same elegant Crestron Home experience.
Learn more at crestron.com/home All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. ©2020 Crestron Electronics, Inc.
ESSENTIAL HVAC
evoHome offers some useful new advancements
SMART HVAC
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and reducing the heating water temperature on milder days – it worked, but was often at the expense of the occupant’s comfort levels. These old techniques relied on a local outside sensor, which was often poorly positioned and gave a false reading of the real outside temperature. These new Smart Weather features use much more accurate cloud-based weather servers (so no unsightly outside sensor is needed). One of the features is called Cold Weather Boost – this works very well for older, less well insulated homes. You may have noticed that, on a cold day, your house feels cooler – but when you check the temperature, you find that the readings are the same as they were on a milder day – and yet you still feel cold.
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The latest trend in ‘smart’ HVAC controls is towards more system-based features, which offer significant improvements in energy consumption and comfort levels, rather than the purely room-based features of most so-called ‘smart’ thermostats. Honeywell Home’s latest release of its evoHome system incorporates some truly innovative new features, which will make a real difference to how well the heating system in a house performs, both in terms of the occupant’s perception of ‘comfort’, and also how efficiently
the main plant (whether it be a gas boiler, or a heat pump) is being utilised. evoHome’s Smart Weather features are an indication of the difference between a single ‘smart’ thermostat, and a true smart system-based product like evoHome. Smart Weather has a number of components, which address the issues in different ways. Weather-related features have long been a part of commercial building controls, including BMS systems; however these tended to be relatively simple things like ‘weather compensation”, which was really a fairly crude attempt to save energy in buildings like schools and offices. Weather compensation operated by ‘guessing’ how much heat the building would need for a given outside temperature,
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Dave Robinson, Managing Director of Sensible Heat Ltd, looks at recent developments in HVAC controls.
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ESSENTIAL HVAC Another new innovation, and a patented world first for evoHome, is called Advance Load Scaling. In essence, this calculates how effective each room’s heat emitters (radiators, underfloor heating etc) is in raising the room temperature – it works out how quickly the room warms up (individually, for each room) and then matches the output of the boiler plant to match the instantaneous demands across the house. What this means in practical terms is that the boiler is driven in a much more intelligent way, so that it only runs at the level needed to attain, and then maintain, the desired conditions across the house. In this way, significant amounts of energy can be saved, as well as achieving more stable temperatures in the house. Without this feature, systems tend to run the boiler plant flat-out at all times, whether it is a single, easily-satisfied zone demanding, or many rooms needing lots of heat. Finally, Heat Pumps; these devices (both air-sourced, and ground-sourced) are becoming more prevalent, and are increasingly likely to replace conventional boilers over the next period as we transition to a low carbon economy. As well as being potentially lower-carbon devices, they also offer the opportunity to provide cooling to the building, as well as heating. Although uncommon at the moment in the UK, the notion of using the underfloor heating pipework to provide cooling in summer, or indeed the idea of a chilled ceiling, is well
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understood and utilised in mainland Europe, and we are likely to see much more of it as heat pumps become more common. So, evoHome now has more special features, firstly to control the heat pump in a more appropriate manner (they behave differently to a boiler) but also to be able to flip the system between heating and cooling modes. If you think about it, using cooling will need a whole different set of time schedules, with different setpoints, set-back temperatures for ‘away’ mode, etc, and evoHome now has this, together with a means of changing from heating to cooling modes. In summary, then, this is a significant product release from Honeywell Home, which raises the game for residential HVAC controls – and, even better, these new features are potentially available to existing customers, because their systems can be downloaded with the new firmware.
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There are several reasons for this, but one of them is the effect of radiation. On a cold day, the temperature of the walls, window surfaces etc will tend to be much lower – the effect of radiation is that the heat is drawn from people (the warm thing) and transferred to the colder thing (the walls etc), independent of the air temperature in the room. That’s why a Cathedral feels cool on a summer’s day – not because the air temperature inside is lower, but because of all the cool masonry acting as a radiant heat sink. So, (in a poorly-insulated house – and most UK houses are poorly insulated!) to compensate for this, the air temperature needs to be raised on cooler days for the occupants to feel comfortable – evoHome can do this, automatically, for selected rooms. Another Smart Weather” feature is called “Warm Weather Saver. You may have experienced the situation, in a fully zone-controlled house, that the boiler is running, even though the weather is mild, and all the zones appear to be up to temperature – maybe your customer has noticed this, and is bringing it to your attention! Upon investigation, you find that just one room is bringing on the boiler – does it really need to be running? Here, the evoHome system exploits the fact that it is just that – a system – not a collection of individual zones. By using fuzzy logic, and looking at outside and inside temperatures, combined with the scheduled setpoints of each zone, it can automatically decide whether to bring on the boiler, without sacrificing comfort conditions.
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ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY
EL PADRINO: CLARKE INFINITY CREATES THE GODFATHER OF HOME CINEMAS Clarke Infinity have been in the installation market for over 25 years and were already a major player when EI interviewed company MD Simon Clarke for our Day In The Life Series way back when the magazine was first established. This particular project underlines the company’s longevity as it was carried out for clients (Martin and Lisa) who the company has worked with before on several projects and properties over the years. The couple called
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Clarke in when their new home was in the very early stages of planning. The couple wanted El Padrino (Spanish for Godfather) to be a fully integrated smart home where every detail was considered and central to the family’s plans was a home cinema; a room where they could relax and celebrate their passion for music, movies and entertaining. Clarke Infinity were entrusted with making the clients’ dreams a reality – designing and creating a truly luxurious cinema room.
Clarke Infinity explains that the couple’s vision was a large home theatre that delivered a fully immersive big screen experience for the entire audience. The room needed to be both luxurious and comfortable with air conditioning throughout, but without the cinema being negativity impacted by the air-con noise and unsightly equipment. Clarke Infinity used the company’s extensive technological skills and industry knowledge to deliver exactly what the client had envisioned and then some.
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MARGINAL GAINS MULTI-ROOM MUSIC. THE HI-RES WAY
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courtesy of Perfect Integration
Meet the new member of the familiy. Njord was the god of wind, seafarers, coasts, and inland waters. He was believed to have the ability to calm waters and quell fires. Njord features a pleasing and uniform image with the power to overcome rooms with high ambient light also making it the ideal choice for larger screens, outdoor entertainment spaces, and contemporary glass home designs, delivering an unbelievably bright and detailed image with spectacular color fidelity for an unmatched experience that will delight even the most discerning clients.
Learn more by contacting us at: residential@barco.com
Experience the difference!
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ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY
Control4 pulls all the elements together
The team used acoustic modelling during the design stages which allowed a full treatment plan to be devised and implemented. Every element of the design was considered, from heavy access doors with noise control seals, to the creation of a sound lock corridor preventing sound from travelling beyond the room. The client wanted the room to be extremely comfortable and ambient which meant both the cinema and AV room required air conditioning. Clarke Infinity’s cinema design included a Barrisol stretched fabric ceiling and finishing to the interior walls; the Barrisol Clim ceiling is the first of its kind in the UK and demonstrates a number of technological advantages over alternative approaches. The perforated stretched fabric evenly distributes the air, ensuring the ceiling becomes
a diffuser for any sound coming from the air conditioning – as well as keeping any unsightly equipment out of view. The Barrisol Clim ceiling ensures that the HVAC equipment remains unseen and people using the room cannot feel it (as the velocity in the occupied area is around 0.2m/s and human beings cannot feel the air movement when the velocity is less than 0.3m/s). In a little more detail, the air con system, in summer or winter, delivers conditioned air flowing gently over the outer walls. This eliminates any unpleasantly hot or cold walls and a natural flow of air develops throughout the space inside the room. Heat radiates through the entire surface of the ceiling, providing pleasant, gentle heat or coolness. The design is also silent due to the unique approach– yet it delivers a luxurious finish and allows the air-conditioning to keep the room at the perfect temperature. The Clarke Infinity team worked closely with the air conditioning company and specified every detail, from the placement of equipment and pipework, inclusion of broad band absorbers and creation of void to deaden sound. The result of the various acoustic solutions Clarke deployed is less than 15db of audible external, background noise, which is inaudible from any of the seating positions.
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ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY
As well as the cutting edge air treatment
Essential Kit List
system, the team also looked to the high-
• Barrisol Cinematech Acoustic treatment
performance end of the market when considering
• Control4 C4-EA5-V2 EA-5 Entertainment and Automation Controller
the audio visual equipment installed. Control4 offers ease of use and control
• Sim 2 Nero 4S DLP 4K UHD Projector
for the cinema which includes a Kaleidescape
• Kaleidescape 4K Ultra HD movie player
content delivery system partnering a Sim2 projector. Lutron lighting is also present as are a compliment of Wisdom speakers and amplification. Striking seating from Fortress completes the look and offers total comfort when enjoying the room. Simon from Clarke Infinity says, “It is always
• Lutron lighting • Fortress Kensington seating • Wisdom Audio Sage Cinema Line Source Planar Magnetic Cinema speakers • Wisdom Audio STS RTL subwoofer • Wisdom Audio SA-3 amplifier
lovely to assist a client over the years and to be a part of their property journey. The Barrisol Clim ceiling and acoustic solutions takes the cinema to the next level in luxury with HVAC you can’t see, feel or hear! The cinema is sensational.” Importantly, the client agrees, “The end result has blown me away – just wonderful. We have been thoroughly impressed by the work of Clarke Infinity; they really care about every single detail. I am enjoying all our old movies again, along with the new ones. The cinema is easily our favourite room of the new house.” The quality of the cinema was also underlined as it was selected as a finalist in the recent CEDIA Awards 2020.
The cinema features a unique air con system
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It’s official...
Lyngdorf makes the world’s best surround processors “The Lyngdorf MP-50 processor and SDA-2400 amplifiers are now in a class of their own.” Widescreen Review “The Lyngdorf MP-60 delivers the best performance I’ve heard from any processor to date and I’ve heard them all.” AVForum “After living with the MP-60 for quite some time, I’ve come to the conclusion is the best processor money can buy.” Home Cinema Choice “With RoomPerfectTM, the MP-60 produces the best sound quality heard for the lowest cost so far. You get SOTA surround sound performance for much lower cost than with other top tier contenders.” Widescreen Review “I can categorically state that I have never heard such pristine home cinema audio outside the mixing suites at Skywalker Sound.” Home Theatre Forum “In my opinion the MP-60 exists in a class of its own with performance that is best described as perfect.” AVForum
Gecko Home Cinema • 01635 268114 • www.lyngdorf.com
PRODUCTS
FOCAL SINGS WITH ONE VOICE Since 2013, with its natural flax cone and sleek style, Aria marked a decisive point in Focal’s history. As part of its process of constant renewal, the brand completes its line with the launch of Aria K2 936, a new edition of the Aria 936 that features the K2 cone and the Ash Grey exclusive finish. Designed and manufactured in France, Aria K2 936 is a three-way floor-stander with a small footprint. Thanks to its three bass speaker drivers, it offers impressive power handling and dynamics, says the maker. “In a stereo installation, the listening experience speaks for itself, whatever genre of music”, adds Focal. The speaker also features a multi-port PowerFlow system for more impact, floor- facing vent for more depth, aluminium/magnesium TNF tweeter for silky trebles and ultra-rigid MDF construction for low vibrations and strong neutrality. In its trademark yellow, the K2 sandwich cone in aramid fibre was included by Focal for the first time in 1986. Made in France, it has continued to evolve, enhancing the brand’s products and always combining the three key factors for a speaker driver: rigidity, lightness and damping. Now comprising an ultralight foam core sandwiched between a layer of aramid fibres and a layer of glass fibres, the K2 cone is in place to offer a pure and precise sound, with no colouration.
Designed to blend seamlessly into any style of interior, the choice of Ash Grey finish combined with a leather- effect front panel, highlights the loudspeaker’s style and elegance. Recognised as a ‘Living Heritage Company’ (Entre- prise du Patrimoine Vivant) by the French state, Focal is aiming to once again showcase its industrial expertise and audio excellence: Aria K2 936 signals the return to high emotion shared by a French loudspeaker with a unique design. UK distributor is OneAV. Focal focal.com oneav.co.uk The Focal Aria K2 936 is available now with the SRP of £3699 / €4000 / $5990 per pair.
AUDIO EXCELLENCE DELIVERS UPDATE The Vertex 1 is a compact loudspeaker that delivers impressive sound pressure level for its size. New features improve the versality of the speaker, now with a ported bass-reflex enclosure, the bass response has been enhanced in the 100 Hz-250 Hz range. With an improved tweeter, the treble response has been extended to 25 kHz. The grille size is now matching the cabinet size and the angles have been squared, enhancing the look. The Vertex 2 is a compact loudspeaker capable of filling large rooms. Fitted with a professional grade 6in low-midrange drive unit, an axissymmetrical horn and compression driver assembly for HF reproduction, it has received a more aesthetic-based facelift. The formerly round edges are now angular and the front grill size was reduced to cabinet size. The Vertex 3 is a compact, high power and high sensitivity loudspeaker, delivering a top-grade performance. Changes are only cosmetic, the front grille being now of the same width and height as the box. The width has been increased to 55cm to visually match the Raijuu 2 subwoofer. The Raijuu 1 is a very small compact subwoofer, shallow enough to fit in a drywall. Its former 12in drive unit has been replaced by two 8in units for an enhanced thermal power handling and SPL. The acoustic load-previously a sealed enclosure- has
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been replaced by a ported bass reflex, allowing an increased output of + 5dB at 40 Hz. The Raijuu 2 is a compact subwoofer designed to provide maximum impact and SPL for ultimate playback of the LFE channel. A new decoupling base supports the enclosure, of unchanged external dimensions. The 18in drive unit has been upgraded, now accepting 1400w AES power handling and 2800w program. The recessed handles were suppressed, the modified cabinet now offering more internal volume for the same external size. Audio Excellence audioexcellence.one The whole audio excellence range has received an update
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DECEMBER 2020 67
The Gramercy & Nero
the benchmark for luxury theater seating
The Ferrier A triple-motorized incline mechanism allows the user to operate the footrest, backrest and headrest INDEPENDENTLY from one-another. This allows the user to ensure maximum comfort by fine-tuning their preferred seating position.
cineak . com Antwerp, Belgium +32 (3) 354 03 66 - Los Angeles, USA +1 (866) 458-0529
PRODUCTS
BluOS ANNOUNCES CRESTRON AND URC INTEGRATION A new driver provides Crestron installers with an enhanced integration with BluOS and offers end users a content rich user interface, whilst a feature rich integration module to enhance audiophile experiences within URC is also now available. With a properly configured media server object router and user interface, users can browse libraries, services and pre-sets and control the playback of the BluOS device within a Crestron system. The maker says that Crestron integrators now have a content rich UI with full user controls like browse and search while streamlining the setup process. Additionally, it offers support for programmatic control of the player transport, volume and pre-set recall. The new BluOS Media Player Driver includes: • Support for Bluesound, Bluesound Professional and NAD products
URC compatibility URC and BluOS have created integrations between Total Control, URC’s residential and commercial automation platform. This allows seamless control of high-definition audio streaming via URC’s control products to BluOS-enabled products from Bluesound, Bluesound Professional, NAD Electronics, DALI Loudspeakers and Monitor Audio. The module provides two-way control and feedback of all BluOS devices. This robust Total Control 2.0 module features a number of innovations developed directly by URC such as: • Macro integration via two-way module commands and automation capabilities with Device Events • Compatibility with any Total Control or Total Control Flex system • Ability to assign a different Default Player to any/each interface
• Automatic player discovery and static IP settings
• Discovery and display of all supported BluOS devices in the system
• Now playing information, playback controls, play queue management, source selection (including analog, optical, coaxial and HDMI auxiliary inputs), content browsing, searching and preset selection
• Source distribution such as a NODE 2i Wireless Multi-Room Hi-Res Music Streamer which can be connected as a source to HDA amplifiers for streaming throughout the entire system
• Programmatic control to now playing information, playback controls and preset selection
• Ability to generously configure and control macros and user settings
• Support for all BluOS languages This new Media Player Driver v1.0.1 is available for download in the Crestron Application Market, and on the NAD Electronics website under supported products.
This new Music Player Two-Way Module for URC Total Control systems is available for download in the URC Dealer Portal as well as here and on NAD’s website under supported products. BluOS bluos.net
New integrations are now available within BluOS for Crestron and URC
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SAR-WM Wall Mount for Sonos Arc Allows you to install Sonos Arc quickly and easily onto any suitable wall. A unique 30mm step positions the Arc’s top-firing speakers in front of the TV. Designed and manufactured in the UK with precision engineered high grade-steel. SAR-TVMA TV Mount Attachment for Sonos Arc Holds the Arc securely in place while allowing it to move with the screen. Flexson’s unique design positions the Sonos Arc 30mm in front of the TV, allowing you to harness the power of Dolby Atmos. Includes two sets of arms for the perfect installation. Available from Exertis: 01256 378 550 or Alltrade: 0844 225 2700
TREE CABLE & POPULAR COMMERCIAL LIGHTING CONTROL CABLE NOW TO CPR CLASS B2Ca www.fscables.com sales@fscables.com 01727 840841
PRODUCTS
HABITECH AND SONANCE GET FLEXIBLE Habitech has introduced the Sonance Motion Flex Invisible speaker range to UK integrators. Two years of research into the physics of flat diaphragms has allowed Sonance engineers to develop a ‘completely invisible’ speaker design that reproduces the sound quality of a visible speaker, claims the company. Traditionally the drivers inside all invisible speakers, including Sonance models, are mounted to a metal frame and drive the diaphragm directly and simultaneously. However, there’s nothing to stop waves from the mid driver rippling outwards to interfere with those from the bass driver on the same radiating surface, boosting distortion and colouration. In a breakthrough for invisible speaker design, Sonance has found a way to isolate discrete wave patterns on a single diaphragm for optimum fidelity. Blending proprietary diaphragm, drivers, isolating baffle and CDX crossover, Sonance’s new ‘Motion Flex’ technology is able to preserve the bending wave motion of the wide response ‘Wave Flex’ mid/HF driver and the pistonic output of the ‘Air Flex’ woofer on the same panel without interference, says the company. The baffle holding the drivers is permanently bonded to the diaphragm at the periphery and between the drivers, allowing the area in front of the drivers to radiate freely. Effectively the Motion
Flex design divides the diaphragm into two discrete radiators, isolating the output of the Wave Flex driver from the Air Flex woofer, which produces significantly lower levels of distortion and coloration. Sonance says that installation practicality has also taken a leap forward. At 12mm the Motion Flex baffle is the same depth as the surrounding plasterboard so installs easily flush without the need for shims to compensate for depth disparity. Install flexibility is boosted by a narrower rear profile, compatible with stud and joist spacing down to 12in (305mm). And to keep contractors honest, the new range incorporates the Sonance Depth Identification Sensing Calibration (DISC) feature, which measures finish depth to confirm that the ideal finish thickness of 1-1.5mm has been applied. Habitech habitech.co.uk As many as six new Motion Flex invisible models will be available for a wide range of home sound applications.
POWER CHORDS Chord Company is bringing its latest XLPE insulation technology to Hi-Fi and home cinema fans on a budget, with the launch of C-screenX, the British cable specialist’s latest loudspeaker product to benefit from the new dielectric. C-screenX is a cost-effective loudspeaker cable which brings Chord Company quality to a wider range of AV enthusiasts. At just 9mm in diameter and fully shielded, its narrow profile means it can be hidden around room edges or buried away in custom installations. C-screenX is flexible enough to route around corners and its white outer jacket (which protects the shielding), also makes it less visible against white skirting boards. Featuring multi-stranded oxygen-free copper conductors and insulated with Chord Company’s new XLPE (Cross Linked Polythene), C-screenX is arranged in a twisted-pair configuration to reduce interference and then enclosed in a PVC casing which reduces mechanical noise and spaces the conductors correctly. C-screenX has the same beneficial sonic characteristics as Chord Company’s other shielded speaker cables and brings real performance benefits to AV systems where interference can seriously affect sound quality. At just £7.50 per metre and with the strong performance one might
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expect from a Chord Company cable, C-screenX is ideal for larger home cinema projects, where often complex cable-runs are the norm; it performs well over longer runs and is install-friendly. C-screenX forms part of Chord Company’s award-winning entry-level C-series, which also offers analogue and digital interconnects, including USB, streaming and HDMI cables. Prices start at just £40 for the multi-award-winning C-line RCA. Chord Company chord.co.uk
C-screenX is an affordable flexible AV solution
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DECEMBER 2020 71
PRODUCTS
RADIO, RADIO! New Naim Radio stations plus a radio upgrade for all Naim streaming systems have recently been announce. Naim Jazz HD and Naim Classical HD stations will join a revamped Naim Radio HD stream; all three available in up to CD quality. They join a dedicated HD Radio category to browse and enjoy from the Naim App. “The new Naim Radio HD channels are home to the entire, updated Naim Records back catalogue – covering everything from some of the very first classic releases, right up to the electrifying debut tracks from latest signing, Fable – truly showcasing our eclectic and exciting roster,” says Naim Records manager, James Tailby. Users of Naim Mu-so and Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation wireless speakers, Uniti Atom, Star and Nova systems, and ND 5 XS2, NDX 2, ND 555 players will be able to enjoy the three new Naim Radio stations as high-quality, 16bit/44.1kHz FLAC streams, and the HD Radio selection at their native resolutions – some as high as 24bit/96kHz. Meanwhile, users of legacy Naim streaming products also get a quality upgrade, with AAC 320kbps streams now available, matching the highest-quality output from BBC Radio stations. Naim naimaudio.com
The higher-quality radio options are now available via the Naim App; no software upgrade required.
ATLONA REVEALS TWO-INPUT 4K/UHD SWITCHER WITH USB HUB Atlona, a Panduit company, has introduced a new switcher in its Omega Series of AV integration solutions for modern workspaces and meeting environments. The cost-effective AT-OME-MH21 combines HDMI and USB-C inputs with advanced functionality and a built-in USB 3.0 hub for video conferencing peripherals or touch displays. Ideal for huddle rooms, small meeting spaces, and home offices, the two-input OMEMH21 offers integration and user convenience features including automatic display control, audio de-embedding, and high-quality 4K to 1080p down-scaling for use with HD displays. Automatic input selection intelligently switches between inputs when sources are added or removed, minimizing the need for the user to
touch the device. This is particularly significant given today’s heightened health concerns as people return to shared physical environments. The OME-MH21’s HDMI input and output support HDR and 4K/UHD, 60 Hz, 4:4:4 video at data rates up to 18 Gbps, while the USB-C input is ideal for direct AV interfacing with newer laptops and mobile devices plus data connectivity to the integrated USB 3.0 hub. The USB-C connection combines with the unit’s two USB type A ports and USB type B interface to support up to two host PCs plus two peripheral devices such microphones, speakerphones, or cameras. This efficiently enhances soft codec conferencing applications, with the ability to switch video and USB together between two host PCs.
“The OME-MH21 provides a compact yet comprehensive integration solution that is right-sized and attractively priced for smaller collaboration spaces,” says David Shamir, VP of Product Management, Atlona. “Its USB-C input and integrated USB 3.0 hub make it ideal for supporting the latest BYOD trends and the wide adoption of software-based conferencing solutions.” The OME-MH21 is HDCP 2.2 compliant and can be configured and monitored remotely over a LAN or WAN through the Atlona Management System. Atlona atlona.com
The switcher is backed by Atlona’s award-winning 10-year limited product warranty and support services
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FINALLY NO COMPROMISE “What we’ve achieved with this is something that I never thought we could get to…I think it will be a long time before any of our competitors can equal this level of performance…if ever” Todd Ryan Chief Speaker Engineer.
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